A Nampa family is breathing a sigh of relief this weekend, and one day very soon 15-year-old Gauge Edwards will breathe a sigh of relief of his own with his new set of lungs. Gauge is in surgery for a double lung transplant after just 8 days on the transplant list.
The teen was born with Cystic Fibrosis - a life-threatening disease that damages the lungs and digestive system.
The family temporarily relocated to Houston, where doctors are performing the surgery at Texas Children's Hospital.
Not knowing when word would come in that Gauge's new lungs were available, the family had to be within an hour of the hospital at all times. Saturday night, Gauge's dad got the potentially life-saving page.
"[Gauge] was so excited and he was comforting the rest of us like like, 'It's going to be okay,' He gave us hugs and pats on the back. Yeah, he was ready to go," Gauge's mom said via Facetime from Texas.
Gauge's parents are grateful for the anonymous donor who's passing is giving their son a chance to live a normal life.
"One of the greatest days of our life is one of the worst days of the donors family's life and I'm just so thankful they have made the choice to use such a tragedy to impact so many other people's lives," The Edwards family said.
The journey up to this point hasn't been easy. The Edwards family has dealt with high health insurance costs, and had to temporarily relocate to Houston.
"We told everybody that we would be gone anywhere from three months to two years, how ever long it takes waiting here on the waiting list," Gauge's mom said.
The surgery could take up 12 hours. Gauge will be under close observation for the next week but his family hopes they will be able to come home to the Treasure Valley soon and start rehabilitation.
