Norwegian woman survives lung transplant after losing mother and brother to same disease

May Lunde, 62, from Sandnes, underwent a life-saving lung transplant over two decades ago after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis—the same disease that killed her mother and brother, she told Dagbladet in an interview published Sunday.

Lunde’s mother died waiting for a transplant, while her brother survived only three weeks after receiving new lungs. When her own condition deteriorated, she was placed on the national donor list and received a transplant within five and a half months. “I was lucky,” she said. “Many wait far longer.”

Now living with roughly one-third of normal lung capacity, Lunde relies on lifelong immunosuppressive medication and uses an electric wheelchair for mobility. Despite the challenges, she described her life as good, noting her recent marriage to a widower who “was used to sick women” and her role as a stepmother to his four children. She also has two daughters of her own, who were in their early 20s when she underwent surgery in 2005.

Lunde emphasized the toll of the disease on families, calling it “hardest on the loved ones.” She recalled the stress of being on standby for a donor organ, required to remain within four hours of Oslo’s Rikshospitalet at all times. “I once snuck across the border to Charlottenberg in Sweden for a night,” she admitted. “But I was still close enough to make it back.”

Her advice to Crown Princess Mette-Marit—who was recently diagnosed with the same condition—was blunt: prioritize health, accept limitations, and prepare for a grueling recovery. “She won’t be able to do everything,” Lunde said. “This is a tough operation, and she’ll have no immunity afterward.” She also urged the princess to consider rehabilitation at Røros, where Lunde recently completed her own program, and expressed hope that the media would “give her peace now.”

A longtime advocate for organ donation, Lunde volunteers with Landsforeningen for hjerte, lunge og hjerneslag (LHL), Norway’s heart, lung, and stroke association. She credited her donor with giving her a second chance—one that allowed her to fulfill a dream this spring of seeing Holland’s tulip fields in bloom.

“Life is precious,” she said. “Even when it’s hard.”