Transplant Patient Featured At Olympics Is From Western New York

If you were in the hospital for nearly 100 days, it would probably be very difficult to keep a smile on your face. However, one woman from Western New York continues to take each day in stride while waiting to receive a lung transplant. 

Melissa King found out over 10 years ago that she has Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), which in short means that breathing is difficult. IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease that causes scar tissue to build up in the lungs, affecting the way the lungs are able to transport oxygen into the bloodstream effectively. 

You may have seen Melissa King around in the Kenmore area over the years. She helps her husband, Richard King, at the famous local candy & ice cream shop called King Condrell’s. 

If you have stopped by the store recently, you may have noticed a sign, written by Melissa’s daughter Adriana, describing what has been going on with her mom. 

Now, Melissa King has been on life support for over 3 months at the Cleveland Clinic, waiting for a lung transplant that she has yet to receive. 

But if you know Melissa, she is always so positive and upbeat. Nothing could ever get her down, and somehow she is always able to look on the bright side of things, even when things get tough. 

While in the hospital, Melissa has been keeping up with the 2024 Paris Olympics, and on a whim she decided to tweet a pic to Peacock’s Olympic coverage #TheGoldZone.

She was shocked to see the Olympics ended up doing a small feature on her, as she watched from the Cleveland Clinic! 

Take a look at the video below. 

“Shoutout to Melissa King! How about Melissa King watching #TheGoldZone from the hospital bed in the Cleveland Clinic while waiting for a lung transplant. Melissa, we are all rooting for you on #TheGoldZone! We have your back.” 

So deserved! If “patiently waiting” and “thinking positively” were an Olympic sport, King would win a gold medal. 

If you want to support Melissa King from Kenmore on her journey to a new set of lungs, you can look at the online basket raffle to help support her fight against Pulmonary Fibrosis! Items like a signed Josh Allen jersey, a pair of Bills tickets, Sabres merch, fun activities like ballroom dancing class and a hot air balloon ride over Letchworth, and so much more are up for grabs! Auction and giveaway drawings will be open until Sunday, August 11th at 11:59 PM. Drawing for all the giveaway prizes will take place on Tuesday, August 13th at 5 PM, and you can get involved when you click here. 

Follow Melissa’s Lungs on Facebook to stay up to date on her journey.