MARLEE:..THERE'S MORE THAN 30-
THOUSAND PEOPLE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY LIVING WITH CYSTIC
FIBROSIS RIGHT NOW--AND EACH
YEAR... MORE THAN A THOUSAND
PEOPLE ARE ADDED TO THAT
LIST.KYLE:..THERE'S NO CURE
FOR THE DISEASE JUST YET--AND
AS 24 HOUR NEWS 8'S CASEY
JONES SHOWS US... THE
DIAGNOSIS TURNED ONE MAN'S
LIFE AROUND IN A VERY
UNEXPECTED WAY.
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IF LIFE WAS CAPTURED IN THE
MOMENTS.....WHAT WOULD IT LOOK
LIKE?SMILES -- AND LAUGHTER?
TEARS?CONVERSATION OR JOY....
JAMES HEYBOER'S LIFE WOULD BE
CAPTURED IN A SINGLE BREATH -
DELIVERED IN A PHONE CALL.
HEYBOER SAYS: IT WAS TOO
PERFECT, IT WAS, 3 MONTHS TO
THE DAY, THAT I GOT THE CALL.
ON THE OTHER END -- NEW LIFE
-- NEW BREATH IN A DOUBLE LUNG
TRANSPLANT.HEYBOER SAYS: YOU
TAKE BREATHING FORGRANTED BUT
WHEN YOU'RE IN MY SITUATION,
YOU'D LIKE TO BREATHE NORMALLY
BUT YOU CAN'T.HEYBOER WAS BORN
WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS - A
GENETIC DISORDER THAT CREATES
A THICK MUCUS, AFFECTING THE
LUNGS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE
BODY.IT'S A TERMINAL DISEASE -
WITH NO CURE.HEYBOER SAYS:
I'VE ALWAYS LOOKED TOWARDS THE
FUTURE BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT
THE FUTURE HOLDS THAT'S FOR
SURE. CERTAIN DAYS ARE
DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS, YOU
HAVE YOUR GOOD AND BAD DAYS.
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THAT FUTURE DIMMED SHARPLY FOR
HEYBOER LAST FALL - MASKED BY
NORMAL LOOK ON THE OUTSIDE -
THE 30 YEAR OLDS INSIDES HAD
CAUGHT UP WITH HIM - DOWN TO
JUST 26% LUNG CAPACITY - HE
WAS 100% RELIANT ON A TANK OF
OXYGEN.HEYBOER SAYS:
((10135228)) ALL THE SUDDEN,
MY BODY GO TO A POINT WHERE,
WHEN I NEEDED THE OXYGEN IT
WAS JUST DIFFICULT TO GO UP
AND DOWN THE STAIRS, I HAD TO
GO SLOW OR TAKE BREAKS HALF
WAY. HEYBOER SAYS: NO ONE
REALLY KNEW I HAD THAT GOING
INSIDE OF ME, I JUST WAS,
WORKING AWAY.ON DECEMBER 5TH
OF LAST YEAR HE WAS PLACED ON
THE TRANSPLANT LIST - LIFE
WENT FROM STRUGGLING FOR EACH
BREATH - TO WAITING.HEYBOER
SAYS: WE ALL JOKED THAT I
WOULD GET THE CALL PROBABLY ON
MY BIRTH DAY OR THAT NIGHT OF
THE EVENT. I'M LIKE, OH IT
WON'T HAPPEN. BUT MY BIRTHDAY
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CAME AND WENT, MY 30TH
BIRTHDAY CAME AND WENT AND,
NOPE, NOP CALL YET, SO.
HEYBOER'S MOM - BETH - BECAUSE
OF JAMES, HELPED FOUND FRIENDS
AND FAMILY OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS
- A CHARITY THAT HELD THEIR
20TH ANNUAL AUCTION - BID FOR
BACHELORS AND BACHLORETTES -
MARCH 4T - THAT WAS THE JOKED
ABOUT EVENT.BETH WAS UP ON
STAGE TALKING TO THE CROWD.
HEYBOER SAYS: SHE JOKINGLY
TOLD EVERYONE THAT THEY HAD TO
BE OFF THEIR CELL PHONES AND
JUST BID AND PAY ATTENTION TO
THE EVENT, EXCEPT FOR HER SON
THAT WAS WAITING FOR A PHONE
CALL FOR A LUNG TRANSPLANT.
THIS CROWD WAS ONE JAMES GREW
UP WITH - THEIR RELATIONSHIP,
IN THE CHARITIES TITLE -
FRIENDS AND FAMILY.BETH HARDLY
HAD TIME TO SIT DOWN BEFORE
HER SON'S CELL PHONE RANG.
HEYBOER SAYS: SO I ANSWERED
AND THEY SAID IS THIS JAMES
HEYBOER AND I SAID, YES IT IS.
AND SHE SAID, WELL, I HAVE A
PAIR OF NEW LUNGS FOR YOU AND
I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO SAY. I
DON'T THINK I SAID ANYTHING, I
THINK I JUST STARTED TO CRY.AS
THE FAMILY WIPED AWAY THE
TEARS - THEY RUSHED TO
SPECTRUM - JAMES' LUNGS
ARRIVED TO A LINE OF FAMILY
AND
FRIENDS.HEYBOER SAYS: YOU JUST
FELT CALM. I JUST FELT LIKE
THE LORD WAS THERE EITH
EVERYONE, WITH MY FAMILY AND
EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE
GOOD.FOR 14 HOURS, HEYBOER'S
SICK, MUCUS FILLED LUNGS WERE
REPLACED WITH A SECOND
CHANCE.JAMES HEYBOER DOESN'T
COUNT HIS BREATHS ANYMORE.HE
COUNTS HIS MOMENTS - NFIVE
YEARS WITH HIS WIFE MARISSA.
THEIR 2 AND A HALF YEAR OLD
AND LEVI.A GIFT FROM A
STRANGER - MARKED BY TWO SCARS
CUT ACROSS HIS CHEST.AND A
PHONE CALL - A BREATH OF NEW
LIFE.HEYBOER SAYS: I CAN MOVE
FORWARD IN MY MY WIFE, WATCH
MY BOYS GROW UP, SO. YEAH,
IT'S QUITE AMAZING.CASEY
JONES, 24 HOUR NEWS 8.
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HOUR NEWS 8.CASEY JONES, 24
QUITE AMAZING.SO. YEAH, IT'S
QUITE AMAZING.CASEY JONES, 24
HOUR NEWS 8.
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KYLE:..JAMES NOW HAS A LUNG
CAPACITY OF 60%, A NUMBER
SIMILAR TO WHEN HE WAS 15.
TOMORROW MORNING AT TEN-O-
CLOCK IS THE "GREAT STRIDES 5K
WALK"... WHICH WILL BE AT
MILLENIUM PARK IN
WALKER.MARLEE:..THIS IS
THROUGH THE CYSTIC THIS IS
THROUGH THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS
FOUNDATION, WHICH IS áNOTá
AFFILIATED WITH FRIENDS AND
FAMILIES OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS.
JAMES TELLS US HE WON'T BE
WALKING IN THIS...BECAUSE HE'S
STILL RECOVERING FOR AT LEAST
THE NEXT YEAR OR SO.