PHOENIX — A 41-year-old woman underwent a successful double lung transplant last fall in Phoenix and is singing once again following a decade-long battle with an autoimmune disease.
“I felt like I was stripped of my identity,” Ali Briskey said in a Friday press release. “But with time, I’ve been able to slowly build up the strength to get back to the things I love to do, and hope to be able to hike and swim soon.”
Briskey had the surgery done at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute only three days after being listed as a candidate, according to the press release.
Events leading to double lung transplant
Back in November 2023, Briskey was pregnant with her second child but her bout with scleroderma, or a disease that causes tightening of skin and connective tissues, evolved into “interstitial lung disease.” According to Mayo Clinic, scleroderma can affect the heart and lungs. In Briskey’s case, she endured “a buildup of scar tissue in (her) lungs.”…