Five Years, Full Life: COVID-19 lung transplant survivor embraces life’s precious milestones after 2020 gift of life

Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute celebrates patient’s remarkable recovery 

(PHOENIX - Jan. 13, 2026) – Five years ago, Arthur Sanchez’s life hung in the balance. It was the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his lungs were left ravaged by the virus. However, the fate of the father-of-two from New Mexico changed after he received a lifesaving double lung transplant at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix in April 2020. Today, he is a living testament to the power of a second chance as he celebrates five years of miraculous milestones he once feared he’d never see.

“I treat every single day as a gift,” said Arthur. “When I was in the hospital, fighting for every breath, I dreamt of moments like walking my daughter down the aisle, holding my precious grandson and building a dream house with my wife. Since my lung transplant, I’ve been able to be part of  these special moments. God’s hand watched over me then and continues to now.”

Arthur’s journey began tragically on Easter Sunday in 2020 when he was admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in his hometown of Las Cruces, New Mexico. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he was transferred to The University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital in Albuquerque for treatment on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. This last resort therapy essentially takes over for failing lungs. Arthur was eventually weaned off the ECMO machine after 93 days, but his lungs were so severely scarred and damaged that a lung transplant was his only option. 

Arthur’s medical team in New Mexico sought out Dignity Health St. Joseph’s renowned Norton Thoracic Institute team which was the first in the western United States and the third in the nation to perform a lifesaving lung transplant on a patient with COVID-19. Within two weeks of his arrival, the transplant team found a donor match for Arthur and Dr. Samad Hashimi, a transplant surgeon at Norton, performed the lifesaving operation.

“Arthur’s case is a perfect example of the complexities we faced during the pandemic,” said Dr. Ashwini Arjuna, Arthur’s pulmonologist at Norton Thoracic Institute. “At the time, we were still learning about COVID-19 and it took the skill and expertise of our team to develop specialized care plans to transport patients to our clinic who were running out of time and options. The talent of our team, paired with Arthur’s determination and the unwavering support of his family, played a huge role in his remarkable recovery. I’m so proud to see how far he’s come.”

In all, Arthur spent more than 44 days at St. Joseph’s and a total of 147 days hospitalized before he was discharged home. Since then, life hasn’t been the same in the best way possible. 

Since then, he was able to walk one of his daughters down the aisle at her wedding. A few years later, his other daughter welcomed his first grandchild, a little boy named JW Duke. Today, he and his wife enjoy hosting their family and playing with their grandson at their dream home which they built from the ground up, and spending time on their brand new boat. 

“My journey was like a factory reset,” said Arthur. “Today, I live life to the fullest and cherish every day that I get to spend with my family. They are my entire world and I am so grateful to God, my donor and the transplant team at Norton Thoracic Institute who gave me the opportunity to make new memories with my growing family. This is what life is all about.”

Arthur continues to return to Phoenix for annual check-ups with his transplant team. These visits are full of joy for the Norton team to catch up with Arthur and his beloved wife, Michaela. 

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