Phoenix Mayo Clinic performs its 1st lung transplant as part of new initiative

A man who literally struggled for every breath became the first patient to receive a lung transplant through a new initiative at the Phoenix Mayo Clinic.

BY ROXANNE DE LA ROSA

Jun 24, 2025, 5:00 AM Updated: 11:31 am

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PHOENIX — A man who literally struggled for every breath became the first patient to receive a lung transplant through a new initiative at the Phoenix Mayo Clinic.

Craig Scherer celebrated his birthday — and new lungs — Monday by blowing out the candles on his cake less than a month after his May 30 transplant procedure.

“I say to them (medical staff) that these lungs are my 67th birthday gift. The best birthday gift I can get in the world,” Scherer said during a press conference.

“It’s my life, it gave me life. Outside of thanking the hospital, the doctors, my beautiful caretaker, my wife, my best friend of 32 years … the donors, there has got to be donors. Without them, none of this would exist.”

How did Scherer become Phoenix Mayo Clinic’s first lung transplant recipient?

Scherer is the first Arizona patient to receive lungs through the Mayo Clinic’s nationally recognized organ transplant program. Before the surgery, Scherer suffered from end-stage lung disease, wore oxygen 24/7 and struggled to even speak.

The illness isolated he and his wife from daily activities, and his quality of life diminished.

All of that changed when his wife got the idea to switch hospitals earlier this year.

At the time Scherer and his wife had no idea the Phoenix Mayo Clinic was launching a lung transplant initiative.

The program offers the most advanced lung transplant techniques, including ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), one of the most important breakthroughs in recent years.

EVLP places a donor’s lungs in a special machine while oxygenating and perfusing them with special nutrients at near-body temperature. This technique increases the success of a transplant by preserving them and may even reverse previous lung damage.

“This is the beginning of a remarkable new era for lung transplantation in Arizona,” Mayo Clinic’s lung transplant surgical director Dr. Jonathan D’Cunha said in a statement. “We are excited and honored to offer patients and families renewed hope and a second chance at life through Mayo’s unrivaled expertise in comprehensive adult organ transplant care.”

Mayo Clinic Transplant Centers are located in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona and are considered the nation’s largest provider of organ transplantations from both living and deceased donors.

This year, Mayo Clinic in Arizona is set to surpass its 2024 record of nearly 900 transplants.

Scherer underwent his surgery on May 30 and three weeks later with daily physical therapy, he was able to walk and talk once again.

One day Scherer said he wants to learn more about the donor of his lungs.

“My heart goes out to the family. Someday I hope I can communicate my gratitude to them for giving me life,” he said.

“Most people don’t get a second chance. I do.”