ITS DONATE LIFE FLAG TO MARK APRIL AS NATIONAL DONATE A LIFE MONTH AND TO HONOR HEROIC DONORS AND THEIR FAMILIES. RIGHT NOW NEARLY 1300 PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE WAITING FOR A LIFE-SAVING ORGAN TRANSPLANT. >> I RECENTLY MET A MAN WHO
UNDERWENT A DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT AND IS NOW USING MUSIC AS A WAY TO GIVE BACK. >> Reporter: FOR DEAN HODEL, MUSIC DOESN’T JUST SOOTHE HIS SOUL, IT ALSO HELPS WORK HIS LUNGS. IN 2010, DEAN TORE HIS ACHILLES WHILE PLAYING
SOFTBALL, AND WHILE HE WAS IN REHAB, HIS THERAPIST NOTICED THAT SOMETHING WASN’T QUITE RIGHT. >> I WAS REALLY HAVING A TOUGH TIME BREATHING AND THE THERAPISTS WERE LIKE, WE ARE REALLY NOT WORKING YOU THAT
HARD. YOU SHOULD MAYBE HAVE THAT CHECKED OUT. >> Reporter: SO DEAN DID AND AFTER A SERIES OF DOCTORS VISITS, HE FOUND OUT HE NEEDED TO LUNGS. >> WHAT’S THAT LIKE WHEN YOU HEAR THAT NEWS, YOU’RE GOING
TO NEED A DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT? >> IT REALLY ROCKED MY WORLD. I MEAN IN FACT, MY FAMILY AS WELL. >> Reporter: DEAN WAS PUT ON THE TRANSPLANT LIST THE DAY BEFORE THANKS GETTING IN 2013. IN SEPTEMBER 2014 HE UNDERWENT
A DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT. NOW 10 YEARS LATER, HE’S USING HIS NEW LUNGS TO MAKE MUSIC AND MAKE WORRIES HE MIGHT NOT HAVE OTHERWISE. >> THE GIFT THAT I RECEIVED IS ALLOWING ME TO SEE THINGS THAT I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
BE HERE TO SEE. MY SON GETTING MARRIED, MY GRANDSON BE IMPORTANT. >> Reporter: IT’S ALSO ALLOWING HIM TO GIVE BACK AND SERVE OTHERS STRUGGLING WITH LUNG ISSUES, ALL WHILE MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. >> DEAN EPITOMIZES A
CHEERLEADER. I WOULD SAY THAT HE’S THE MOST POSITIVE PERSON I KNOW. >> BECAUSE THIS IS THE GIFT THAT I RECEIVED IS JUST ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. YOU KNOW I THINK MY DONOR FAMILY EVERY SINGLE DAY. >> I ASKED DEAN ABOUT THAT
ACHILLES TEAR AND I SAID WAS THAT KIND OF A BLESSING IN DISGUISE, AND HE SAID YEAH, LOOKING BACK ON IT NOW, IF HE HADN’T TORN HIS ACHILLES, AND HE’S NOT GETTING REHAB AND MAYBE HE NEVER ENDS UP KNOWING
THAT HE NEEDS NEW LUNGS. >> SUCH AN EARLY TIME TO WHERE HE COULD GET THE MAN BE SO STRONG AND HEALTHY. HE JUST SEEMS SO
