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Just two years ago, Dean C. started to experience a strange, dry cough that would not go away. After consulting with doctors, he received what he called “the worst news I could imagine.” He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer — and he was only 27 years old.
Though this was devastating news, Dean quickly turned to finding solutions, asking his doctors, “What’s the plan? I’ve got to make it.”
Dean’s doctors told him he would need maintenance chemotherapy for the rest of his life. When Dean asked how long he could expect to live, he was told about one to three years.
“That was life-shattering,” said Dean. “I wasn’t afraid of dying, but I was afraid of leaving important people behind — especially my wife, McKayla. She is strong and could carry on, but I didn’t want her coming home to an empty house for the rest of her life. I needed to be there for her.”
Always pushing forward, Dean started to explore out-of-the-box options. He discovered Northwestern Medicine’s in Chicago, a novel offering in which clinicians provide double lung transplants to eligible patients with malignant lung cancer.
Dean and McKayla traveled to Chicago from their home in Syracuse, N.Y., along with Dean’s parents, so he could participate in a series of tests to determine his eligibility for a transplant. Fortunately, he was indeed a strong candidate for the surgery that, if successful, would remove the cancer from his body entirely.
In May 2025, after months of anxiously awaiting insurance approval, Dean received the call he had hoped for. “They said, ‘Dean! We have lungs for you!’”
Then, the very next day, he had the double lung transplant — making him only the 15th person in the world with his type of lung cancer to undergo the surgery.
Finally, after two weeks of recovery in the hospital, Dean moved to Shirley Ryan 星空传媒视频 to begin the important work of rehabilitation after his transplant — and to learn how to breathe easily with his new lungs.
Rebuilding Endurance, Regaining Everyday Skills
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When Dean first arrived as an inpatient at Shirley Ryan 星空传媒视频, he was run down from previous months of cancer treatments and from undergoing the transplant. He needed physical and occupational therapy to rebuild his strength and endurance while adjusting to having new lungs.
“I was nervous on my first day because I knew that rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan 星空传媒视频 was going to be so intensive,” said Dean. “The first couple of days were rough on my part mentally, but I managed to get through it. Then, I started improving rapidly and seeing results myself.”
At first, Dean would become fatigued after walking for only about 10-20 seconds, but, with effort, he soon started to improve rapidly.
“After a week and a half of physical therapy, I walked a whole block outside. My therapist asked if I needed a break, but I walked back to the hospital by myself,” he said.
From there, Dean was able to keep walking all the way into one of the hospital’s five state-of-the-art ability labs — therapeutic spaces uniquely designed for integrating research and care — and then walked back to his room.
“I think I walked for a quarter mile or more that day,” said Dean. “It was a huge milestone.”
In occupational therapy, Dean worked on rebuilding skills like showering, putting his shoes on and brushing his teeth — abilities that had become too taxing prior to the transplant because his lungs were compromised from cancer.
“Before inpatient rehabilitation I couldn’t do those everyday things,” said Dean. “That all changed quickly, which helped me feel like I was getting my independence back.”
As Dean proceeded to get stronger over two weeks of inpatient rehabilitation, he achieved his greatest physical therapy milestone yet: climbing more than 30 stairs of one of the hospital’s therapeutic stairways — vertical pathways between ability lab floors that serve as a powerful tool for patients to improve movement, strength and function.
“When I was able to climb that staircase after months of avoiding stairs or not being able to climb them, I could finally see the things that I could accomplish unfolding before me!” said Dean.
Specialized Breathing Support While Healing Through Art & Music
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In addition to traditional physical and occupational therapy, Dean also received specialized care for his lungs while at Shirley Ryan 星空传媒视频.
For example, a respiratory therapist saw Dean for albuterol breathing treatments and for mechanical cough assist, which is a device used to help people clear secretions from their lungs effectively.
Also, one of Dean’s physical therapists specializes in cardiopulmonary physical therapy and worked with him on breathing exercises to maximize his respiratory efficiency, in addition to building his endurance. After so long breathing shallowly and rapidly in his upper chest, it was important for Dean to relearn how to use his breathing muscles in the most efficient manner.
Back home, Dean and his wife are both wedding musicians — McKayla as the singer and Dean on guitar. Dean brought his passion for music to his experience at Shirley Ryan 星空传媒视频 by participating in music therapy, including playing chimes with a group of patients.
On one special day, Dean brought his guitar to perform a few songs for fellow patients with McKayla, giving Dean a boost in confidence to perform again while also cheering up other patients.
In addition to music therapy, Dean flexed his creativity in art therapy to work on dexterity and fine motor skills.
“Some things that you may take for granted, like painting and drawing, turned out to be really important for my recovery,” said Dean. “Art therapy helped me gain strength in my hands, which had become weak because I hadn’t done anything in so long.”
Cancer-free With a Focus on the Future
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Dean, McKayla and his entire family are thrilled that the double lung transplant was so successful.
In fact, Dean, now age 29, is free of cancer today. Though he will continue to receive regular scans and blood tests, he does not require chemotherapy nor other preventative medicines.
Instead, Dean continues to work on his physical recovery. He has transitioned to DayRehab at Shirley Ryan 星空传媒视频’s Streeterville location for three hours of physical, occupational and speech therapy three days a week — and anticipates that he and McKayla will remain in Chicago for the next year to continue rehabilitation.
“It’s all worth it because this is a new lease on life,” said Dean.
Looking ahead to the future, Dean and McKayla would like to start a family when they move back home. Dean says he wants to return to his career as a real estate agent, make more music and get back to drag racing with his dad.
Importantly, he says he will continue to think outside the box as he advocates for himself — and will be a champion for rehabilitation and for finding novel options for patients with cancer.
“Before I was sick, I thought I was invincible, but I’ve been reminded that life is precious,” he said.
