Transplant journey is over

Jen McKenna, the double-lung transplant patient whose medical journey The Press has chronicled since January, died Thursday morning at a hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C.

McKenna, who was 41 in January, was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes mucus to build up in the respiratory system.

She underwent the transplant May 23 at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in a bid to give her a pair of lungs that would allow her to breathe.

"It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that my beautiful wife and best friend passed away this morning at 5:15 a.m.,” her husband, Corey, posted on social media. “This brave and beautiful woman was a treasure and inspiration to so many people. Over the years, she taught us to laugh at ourselves, laugh at each other, have a passion for life amidst any trials and tribulations. She endured so much in the last several months yet never complained.”

Medically, Corey wrote, his wife had experienced ups and downs during the last five weeks.

But Jen fought.

The new lungs were working, but a number of secondary medical issues led to the complications that caused her death.

"In her final hours, she was surrounded by love as her family gathered around holding her hands,” her husband said. “She did not suffer, she was not in pain, and she went quickly. She looked at me one last moment before taking that last breath.”

He said she taught him how “to be strong, to be selfless, to be real. Her impact was amazing.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.