Ella DuBro struggled with breathing for years.
As a freshman at Ohio State University, she found creative ways to navigate the massive campus.
"In the middle (of campus) by The Oval, there's like a huge hill. And so, I avoided that hill. I could not walk up it and I had to go all the way around to get to my classes," she said.
Doctors wrote off DuBro's difficulty breathing as the result of asthma. They gave her new inhalers to try, but those didn't help.
While visiting her college roommate over the summer in Chicago, DuBro had to go to the emergency room. She ended up staying in a Chicago hospital for three weeks.
"I was a major heart failure and my body was shutting down because oxygen couldn't get to the rest of my body and be circulated," DuBro said.
At the age of 19, DuBro was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a lung disease that affected her heart.
"You know, the right side of my heart was three times in size. And so, they honestly didn't know that how I was still alive," she said.
Now 22-years-old and a senior at OSU, DuBro, recounted the story calmly. Looking at her, it's impossible to tell that she had a double lung transplant last year. Though she was previously considering becoming a nurse practitioner, she now plans to pursue a career in organ transplantation after graduation.
"Lung transplant, it's much more than just the surgery — that's a huge part of it — but then it's a lifelong commitment to medications and testing and treatment to stay healthy. And Ella has been through a tremendous amount, but is really the perfect example of someone doing great with a bright, bright future."- Dr. Stephen Kirby, transplant pulmonologist at Ohio State University
DuBro's journey
After her stint in a Chicago hospital, DuBro, of Gahanna, took a medical flight back to Ohio State for treatment closer to home. She spent the next two years battling her disease.
"I was glad that I finally had a diagnosis, um, but it was not the diagnosis that — I mean, I guess, we can all hope for things, but this was definitely something that scared me a lot," DuBro said.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is not common among young people, and despite going through many tests, DuBro doesn't know why she developed it. DuBro said it's also a rare disease, which meant there were not many options for mediations. Less funding and research go into uncommon diseases, she said.
Doctors put DuBro on a subcutaneous pump, similar to a diabetic pump. Early on, medical professionals made it clear that DuBro would ultimately need a double lung transplant.
When DuBro's doctors decided it was time, she promptly became number one on OSU's lung transplant list. It still took about six weeks to get her lungs, DuBro said.
"They had to find somebody that was young, and they also were trying to find someone that was short, because I'm only five foot tall," DuBro said. "You know, someone that's 5'10" — their lungs wouldn't fit inside me."
"I really want to work actually with organ transplants. And I want to inspire people, but also be an advocate for being an organ donor."- Ella DuBro
Advocating for organ donation
Now, DuBro feels "amazing." She said she had been active when she was younger, but became sick slowly over time, starting in high school. With her new lungs in working order, she's back to hitting the gym and has gotten into pickleball.
"I am finally able to get back to my life," DuBro said.
Her life will never be "normal," but DuBro said she's grateful for her new normal and the care she received from Ohio State's pulmonary team, her surgeon and her transplant pulmonologist, Dr. Stephen Kirby.
Kirby said it's unusual for someone as young as DuBro to need a transplant.
"But when the need arises, we're glad we're able to provide it," Kirby said, "Ella is the perfect example of getting a life-saving gift and making the absolute most of that gift."
DuBro not only wants to be an example of the good that can come from organ transplants, she wants to be an advocate for organ donation. Plus, she wants to offer support to those who need transplants.
"When I was going through this, I didn't have many people to talk to who had gone through this experience," DuBro said. "I didn't have anyone my age or younger to talk to."
DuBro said while organ transplantation sounds scary, it's doable.
"I was like, I cannot do this. Like. You can do it. You are strong enough to get through it. And, you know, I'm living proof of that."
