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(VIDEO) Breathing easy thanks to the gift of life and new Mayo Clinic Lung Transplant Program in Arizona
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Craig Scherer takes a deep breath and a bold step into his second chance at life
Lung disease is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Some of those diseases, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, are among the top leading causes of death globally.
COPD alone affects over 16 million people, like Arizona resident Craig Schuerer. Craig got treatments to manage his condition, but there's no cure. The disease is progressive, meaning it gets worse over time, making it harder and harder for a person to breathe.
Craig's disease progressed until treatments no longer worked, leaving him gasping for air and facing death. Doctors said his only hope for survival was a lung transplant.
Craig turned to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where doctors just launched a new multidisciplinary, specialized lung transplant program. Craig became the new program's first patient, and today he is breathing easy.
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (2:43) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
It was love at first sight for Craig and Nanci Scherer.
They met at a little league game in the spring of 1992. Eight months later, they were married. This year, Craig and Nanci celebrated their 32nd anniversary.
Their smiles today are just as radiant as on their wedding day.
Happiness turns to heartache
The couple raised four children. Their family grew to include 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. They planned for retirement and looked forward to the day when they could travel and enjoy their future together.
But when Craig turned 60, life took a sharp turn. He was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a progressive disease that causes damage to the lungs, making it hard to breathe. Treatments can help manage the disease, but there's no cure. As the disease continues its silent assault, quality of life often slowly slips away.
"I couldn't do things, and even if I could do things, I didn't have the strength to do it or the stamina because my lungs would wear out," says Craig.
Craig's COPD continued to get worse. Eventually he couldn't breathe, walk or even talk. "It was silent at our house. We didn't talk because he couldn't talk. He didn't have the oxygen," says Nanci. "We lived in silence and isolation."
Last hope for survival
Eventually, Craig reached end-stage lung disease. Treatments no longer worked and his health continued to decline. Craig was left with only one last hope for survival, a lung transplant. Craig and Nanci turned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
"We see this with patients, when there are no other options, no medical interventions you can do at that point," says Dr. Jonathan D'Cunha, surgical director of the Mayo Clinic Lung Transplant Program in Arizona transplant center
For six years, Dr. D'Cunha had been working on building a multidisciplinary team of medical and surgical experts to create a new lung transplant program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
The transplant center is the largest in the country, performing more adult solid organ transplants than any other center in the U.S. The addition of the lung transplant program establishes Mayo Clinic in Arizona as a comprehensive transplant destination medical center.
The program will provide transplantation for the full range of patients with end-stage lung disease. "This is the beginning of a remarkable new era for lung transplantation in Arizona," says Dr. D'Cunha. "We are excited and honored to offer patients and families renewed hope and a second chance at life through Mayo's unrivaled expertise in comprehensive adult organ transplant care."
Craig became the new program's first patient to receive a lung transplant.
Giving the gift of life
On May 30, 2025, Dr. D'Cunha led a team of surgeons in performing Craig's lung transplant. The surgery was a success, and soon after, Craig was slowly starting to breathe with his new lungs.
"It is surreal to be able to breathe and not gasp for air when I talk," says Craig, who was up and walking within days of surgery. "I told the doctors when I got here that I will do whatever it takes. I'm 100% committed. If you want me to walk six times a day, I'll walk seven," says Craig.
"He did phenomenal," says Dr. D'Cunha. "His optimism and energy he brought with him is absolutely critical because the stronger you are going into these big operations, the better you are on the other side.
"I'm very proud of Craig. He always amazing me throughout the journey of transplant," says Ashraf Omar, M.B., B.Ch., medical director of the transplant program. "He is a special person. Motivation is the cornerstone of his success."
A fighter's farewell
Two and a half weeks after his transplant, Craig was heading home. The transplant team bid him farewell with a victory celebration with pom-poms waving and confetti raining down.
A few days later, on June 23, Craig returned to Mayo to join his transplant team for a news conference announcing the official launch of the lung transplant program.
It was also Craig's 67th birthday.
"The lungs are my birthday gift, the best birthday gift I could get in the world"
Craig Scherer
In honor of his organ donor and the donor family, Craig used his new lungs to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
Watch: Craig's heartfelt moment in honor of the gift of life
Craig and Nanci are back at home and looking forward to beginning the next chapter of their story.
"I have a lot of life left to live in me. Everything is a motivator — my wife, my kids, my grandkids, my health," says Craig. "Before, I had no quality of life and couldn't do anything. Now, there's nothing I can't accomplish."
Related stories:
- Mayo Clinic in Arizona announces launch of new lung transplant program offering hope and restored function to patients facing advanced lung disease
- Lung Transplant Program
- Breathing easier with COPD
