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Tegan Conner

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Breathe Easy

As an infant, the doctors diagnosed Autum Hall, 47, with a rare condition called  Idiopathic Bronchiectasis, a lung condition where the lungs' airways become permanently enlarged by an unknown cause. The lungs progressively lose their elasticit
Autum’s doctor told her that she would need to relocate to Durham to prepare to be listed. She and her husband, Mitch Hall, wait to speak with the surgeon about Autum’s transplant at Duke University Hospital.    “I always felt like [a tran
“I’ve not felt limited by [my condition],” Autum said. “I’ve had limitations, but I’ve always known what they were.”
“Once you go through that door [to receive a transplant], there’s no going back,” Autum said. “[A transplant] is not a complete cure. You’re just trading one set of problems for another.”    Autum takes one last walk through her closet to
Autum attends pulmonary rehab multiple times a week to prepare her body for the surgery and recovery process.    "It's exhausting," Autum said. "I wake up and I think, ‘I'm stronger than I thought I was physically,’ and I just keep pushing
“I’m cautiously excited [for the transplant],” Autum said. “I don’t know what to expect, but I’m hoping it will be something wonderful.”   Transplant candidates are chosen based on a lung allocation score that measures various factors of the ca
On November 21, 2015, Autum received a call that a pair of lungs had been approved for her transplant. Mitch and Autum’s best friend, Kelli McPhail, take her hands and lift her up in prayer before she is taken to the operating room.   "I have f
Autum's old lungs wait to be discarded after the operation.    "The support group that I participate in and the people that have shared their experiences have been invaluable to me throughout this process," Autum said. "Maybe one day someb
Duke University Hospital performs about 100 lung transplants every year. Autum is the 1,610th lung transplant performed at Duke.
Autum's surgeon, Dr. Mani Daneshmand, updates Autum's family and friends after the surgery. He explains that Autum’s body did not respond well when they hooked her up to the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, and they had to use the defib
Mitch comforts his and Autum's daughter, Alyssa George, as they see Autum for the first time following the surgery.   “It doesn’t really even look like her,” Mitch said after seeing his wife.
Autum's nurse helps her to the bed after walking two laps with a walker.  "I'm not in pain," Autum said. "It's uncomfortable sometimes, but I'm not in pain."
After three surgeries and 53 days in the hospital, Autum was cleared to return to her apartment in Durham on January 13, 2016.    “I think once I get out of these walls, I’ll really be able to start to improve,” Autum said.
Autum meets her two-week-old grandson for the first time when she arrives at her apartment in Durham. Autum anticipates three more months of rehab before she will be cleared to return to her home in Autryville.    “It’s a long process,” Au

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