Mesa woman breathes easy this Thanksgiving following lifesaving lung transplant

(PHOENIX - Nov. 18, 2025) – This Thanksgiving, a Mesa woman is grateful to have a second chance at life after undergoing a double lung transplant at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center following a twenty year battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

“My lung transplant gave me back my freedom,” said Deborah Eaton, 60. “For so many years, I lived with the restrictions and  consequences of being a long-time smoker. Today, I can do things that once held me back. I am so thankful.”

Deborah was just 13 years old when she moved to Mesa in 1978. She remembers driving down the road seeing acres of groves and orchards as the familiar smell of cigarette smoke stuck to her clothes. Her parents had smoked ever since she could remember. By the time Deborah graduated from Mesa High School in 1983, she had picked up the habit herself.

“At the time, smoking was so social,” said Deborah. “Everyone was doing it. But, as the years went on it became more of a hard habit to quit. At one point I was smoking up to two packs of cigarettes a day.”

In 2005, over two decades of heavy smoking had caught up to her. Deborah was diagnosed with COPD.

“COPD is a progressive lung disease that  worsens over time, making it increasingly difficult to breathe,” said Dr. Sofya Tokman, a pulmonologist at Norton Thoracic Institute. “COPD causes a person’s airways to narrow and deteriorate making it hard for the lungs to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.” 

In the years that followed, Deborah struggled to quit smoking. She had good years on and off where she kicked her habit. But, she continued to find her way back to a pack of cigarettes. By 2015, Deborah relied on an oxygen tank to complete everyday tasks. She found herself in and out of the emergency department when her oxygen levels would dip. In early 2025, reality set in when she was hospitalized.

“The doctors told me that my lungs were in such bad shape that I needed a lung transplant,” said Deborah. “And, if I didn’t get one, I only had six months to a year to live. I wasn’t ready to die.”

Deborah was referred to Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute, a world renowned transplant center in the heart of Phoenix. She was added to the donor wait list in May after completing a thorough lung transplant evaluation process. Just a few days later, she got the call that they had a match, which is significantly below the national average wait time.  

“Here at Norton Thoracic Institute, we take great pride in providing our patients with expert transplant care before, during and after surgery,” said Dr. Tokman. “Norton is the top performing program in the nation for lung transplant outcomes and we are so proud of the work Deborah and our team put into helping her get to where she is today.”

This Thanksgiving, Deborah is looking forward to celebrating with her family in her hometown. This year, she has a lot to be grateful for.

“I am very thankful for my family, especially my husband, for supporting me throughout this entire transplant journey,” said Deborah. “The support they provided me partnered with the expert care of my medical team at Norton Thoracic Institute gave me a new lease on life. I’m forever grateful.”

November is COPD Awareness Month, and Deborah hopes her story encourages others to quit smoking.

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