Plainville woman undergoes rare successful double lung transplant | Local News

“The pneumonia is idiopathic and to this day (after countless tests) the cause is unknown,” said Lovell, who works in talent acquisition at Brown University in Providence.

Shannon, 28, underwent a double lung transplant at Brigham and Women's Hospital on April 30. According to the Mayo Clinic, a double lung transplant is one of the rarest and riskiest of all transplant procedures.

Daniel Lovell, also 28, has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for ongoing medical costs, but says his wife is “getting better every day,” and that as of last Wednesday, “she was able to move off the transplant ICU floor and onto the step-down floor and is no longer dependent on a ventilator.”

“She has a tracheotomy but is getting up and walking every day through physical therapy and regaining her strength,” he said in an email to the Sun Chronicle.

Her medical care and support team have been “absolutely amazing,” he said.

And she's staying positive, Lovell said, adding that Shannon “is not only my wife, she's also truly my best friend.”

“She's just a good person,” her husband said. Shannon, who also works as a grant writer at Brown University, is “just a good person.”

“She has such a positive impact on those she meets and is always willing to help,” he said. “She was a school teacher in Bellingham during the height of COVID-19 after being diagnosed with the respiratory illness.”

As of Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe account had raised $39,676 of its $40,000 goal.

“Shannon, my family and myself are so grateful for the support you've all given us,” Daniel Lovell wrote in a post on the fundraising site. “It was truly heartwarming to see hundreds of local residents come out to lend a hand and give us some much-needed financial relief.

“I don't have the vocabulary to adequately express my gratitude, but I want you to know that from the bottom of our hearts we are grateful for the positive impact each and every one of you has had on our lives,” he said.