KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – As a child, Cassandra Clements was active and never felt restricted.
“My childhood was pretty normal, where I could run and play and do whatever I wanted,” Clements said.
Clements was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that often affects the lungs, when she was young.
As Clements grew older, her lung function declined and her once budding gymnast development slowed, leaving her on the sidelines as her life unfolded.
“It was very hard for me to see everyone else going about their lives and going through so much. It felt like life had just slipped through my fingers without me even realizing it,” Clements said, tearing up. I spoke while holding back. “I was just finishing up my life and watching everyone else go off to college and graduate.”
Her lung function was 8% of normal.
Doctors told her she could either have a double lung transplant or die peacefully because her lungs had stopped working completely.
In January 2019, after a dry run, Clements was presented with new lungs.
“It’s actually overwhelming at times because it’s the first time I’ve had this much air coming into my body. It’s weird to have my lungs expand and move my arms because so much air is coming into my body. It’s a completely different feeling. “,” Clements said.
She knows very little about the person whose lungs she once received, but whose lungs were small like hers, who were probably young, and who probably played sports that involved a lot of running or aerobic exercise. I know it’s a person.
“Every time I wake up, I just take five minutes to breathe, because that’s a gift someone gave me. I’ve never felt this way in my life,” Clements said with a smile. .
Now that he has new lungs, Clements thinks every day about the people who gave him his lungs, and he feels an obligation and responsibility to honor them by doing whatever his lungs can handle. He said he was there.
“It’s like the breath of life, and you’re constantly reminded of how much someone has given you, so you never take it for granted,” Clements says.
She runs marathons and uses them as training for her true passion: triathlons.
During National Donate Life Month, Clements ran the Knoxville Marathon. And this weekend, she’s taking on another triathlon, honoring what she believes is necessary for her lungs and life.
“At the end of your life, you’re not going to do anything with your organs, so why not give someone else a chance?” Clements said.
Clements finished ninth in his category and 253rd overall. knoxville marathon.
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