Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby, Jennifer Ovechka's health deteriorated gradually until all she could do was fight to survive. A double lung transplant has given her a new lease on life, and she's taking full advantage of it.
On a crisp October night in 2022, Jennifer Ovechka danced the night away with her new husband and 200 friends and family members inside an enormous barn decked out for the special occasion.
It was the rustic-chic wedding of her dreams in more than one sense. A little more than a year before her wedding day, Jenn's health was quickly deteriorating as she waited for updates on a double lung transplant that would save her life.
"There were definitely times when I wanted to give up," Jenn, 42, says. "And being on the waiting list for a lung transplant was difficult. But I tried to take it a moment at a time and lean on my supporters when I needed to. Now that I'm on the other side, I couldn't be happier."
Laboring for Every Breath
At just six-months-old, Jenn was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), a disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body. Mucus, digestive juices, and sweat become thick and sticky, clogging airways and making breathing difficult.
The disease is caused by a defective gene that's passed from generation to generation. While Jenn had no family history of cystic fibrosis, to her knowledge, her sister was also diagnosed with it. She died at 29 from complications of the disorder.
Throughout her childhood and into early adulthood, as CF continued to make breathing difficult, Jenn felt as though she was constantly sick. She used an inhaler and took oral, and, occasionally, intravenous, antibiotics. Every couple of years, she'd need to be hospitalized in order to resolve her symptoms.
All the while, her lung function was gradually decreasing. By the time she reached her late thirties, it was down to just 40 percent, the point at which a lung transplant becomes a consideration.
Robert Vender, MD, a critical care physician at Hershey Medical Center–Penn State Health who treated Jenn's CF over the last two decades, gave her the option of continuing her care at either the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jenn chose Penn.
"I never doubted my choice," she says. "Penn has an astounding record of success with lung transplants. And, yes, it was a bonus to not have to relocate."
Joshua M. Diamond, MD, MSCE, Associate Medical Director of the Penn Lung Transplant Program, and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, PhD, Director of the Penn Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program, were now overseeing her care.
Between 2020 and 2021, Jenn's lung function decreased precipitously to 22 percent, at which point her name was added to the waiting list for a double lung transplant.
After six months on the waiting list, Jenn, now 39, underwent a double lung transplant at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on August 4, 2021. Christian A. Bermudez, MD, Director of Thoracic Transplantation at Penn and Surgical Director of the Penn Lung Transplant Program, performed the eight-and-a-half-hour operation. Jenn remained in the hospital for three weeks. She was then transferred to the Gift of Life Howie's House in Philadelphia, where she continued her recovery under close supervision for several weeks.
Living Life to Its Fullest, Finally
Jenn met her husband, Troy, on a blind date two-and-a-half years prior to her transplants. Their first year together, they went on dates to Knobel's, the amusement park; the Kutztown Folk Festival; a Luke Bryan concert; and a Gabriel Iglesias comedy show. But her lung function deteriorated rapidly during their second year together.
"Troy never left my side through it all," Jenn says. "He helped me move around the house and made sure my oxygen tube was never bent. After the transplants, he stayed with me at the Gift of Life House and took me to Ocean City and Atlantic City to keep my spirits high."
She credits his presence and her perpetual desire to keep moving with her ability to survive long enough to receive the transplants. Even as she struggled to breathe, Jenn, always the outdoorswoman, split firewood and, every day, walked a mile on a treadmill.
Two years removed from her transplants, she's doing those things and so much more with an energy and stamina that were previously always out of reach.
"This is the most normal life I've ever had," Jenn says. "I'm not coughing endlessly. There are no more breathing treatments. Before, I spent so much time just trying to keep myself alive. Now, I get up in the morning and I'm out the door and off to work."
Following her surgery, Jenn renewed her medical assistant certification and, in early 2022, returned to work full-time at a cardiology practice near her home.
And in late 2022, she and her husband honeymooned in Bermuda. The highlight of their trip: She didn't need to bring a "suitcase full of meds."
Jenn continues to receive her post-transplant care at Penn, following up with Dr. Diamond every three months and Dr. Hadjiliadis annually. She also undergoes pulmonary function testing and chest imaging every three months. They're closely monitoring her CF and transplants to ensure that any issues with either are caught early and treated immediately.
Jenn is content to let her doctors focus on what-if scenarios. For the first time in her life, she's living life on her terms, and savoring every moment of it.