Mayra Grandio was 73 when she learned that she needed a lung transplant. After the transplant center near her home in Miami turned her away, Grandio went to Duke Health, where the team has the experience to transplant people whose conditions are more complex. Today she enjoys a full life, including taking care of her beloved grandchildren.
A Life Interrupted by Lung Disease, and a Sudden Decline
In 2021, Mayra Grandio was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which the tissue in the lungs gradually thickens and scars, preventing oxygen from reaching the blood. Grandio was prescribed medication, and for two years she led an active life, traveling the world and doing Zumba.
Two years later, Grandio developed a cold she couldn’t shake. At the emergency room, she learned her disease had progressed, and that she needed a lung transplant. “It was shocking,” said Grandio, now 75.
Finding the Right Lung Transplant Center
Grandio underwent testing for a lung transplant but was rejected. “My son is a pulmonologist in Salt Lake City,” said Grandio. “He told me I had to go to Duke because they were the best.”
In July of 2024, Grandio traveled to Duke to be evaluated. “We were so impressed with Duke,” she said. “Sometimes you're used to doctors where you can hardly get a word in, and then in ten minutes, that's it. At Duke, they spend as much time with you as possible, and it’s wonderful.” When she got back home, she learned she was accepted by Duke into their program.
“We were thrilled,” said Grandio. She and her husband relocated to Durham, and on August 5, 2024, Grandio began pulmonary rehab to prepare for the transplant. “It’s an awesome gym,” she said. “I worked out with a physical therapist for an hour and a half, five days per week.” She was put on the transplant waiting list on August 19.
Taking on a Complex Case
Grandio had several characteristics that made both finding a lung and performing the transplant challenging, said Duke transplant pulmonologist John M. Reynolds, MD. But “we have the surgical and medical experience to offer transplants to patients like Mrs. Grandio who may be older, more medically complex, and who other centers might not want to take on.”
“Seventy-four is an age at which most centers would not perform a lung transplant,” added Duke lung transplant surgeon Jacob A. Klapper, MD, who performed Grandio’s transplant. “We can do it because of our sophisticated screening process, our pre-transplant rehab program that gets these people in the best shape possible, and of course the rest of the transplant team. We really make sure every patient, but especially older patients, have the best chance for success.”
Successful Lung Transplant and Recovery
On December 27, 2024, Grandio received the call that Duke had found a lung, and she was transplanted the next day. Grandio experienced some complications during her transplant recovery -- she went to the intensive care unit for bleeding and had problems swallowing. But “these are all within the scope of what can be expected post-transplant and can be managed,” said Dr. Reynolds, and Grandio went home on Valentine’s Day, 2025. “It was the best gift,” she said.
A Second Chance at Life
Grandio did well until she experienced a collapsed lung, and returned to Duke for treatment. “Since then, I’ve been fine,” she says. “I’ve been able to do things I haven't done before, like taking walks in the park, cooking, picking up the grandkids from school, and enjoying family get-togethers." Grandio moved back to Miami on June 6, 2025.
“We were so happy with the care at Duke,” said Grandio. “It felt like family. And they took care of my husband and kids, too -- keeping them abreast of everything.” Her gratitude extends past Duke, too. “I’m so thankful and blessed that I was able to get an organ donor. I don't know whose lung I received, but I'll be forever grateful for that chance at life.”
