Jennifer Matthews: Cleaning and cooking aren't viewed as privileges by most women, but Susan Morris considers herself lucky, she can now do household chores.
Susan Morris: I couldn't clean; I couldn't cook; I couldn't go outside. It felt like you were actually suffocating, that's how it felt not to be able to breathe.
Jennifer Matthews: A smoker for 30 years and practically chained to her breathing machine, Susan was told she had lung disease and was put on a transplant list.
Susan Morris: You just get so depressed about it because it's like nothing seems to be helping.
Gerard Criner: You put this tube inside the bronchoscope.
Jennifer Matthews: Then she got wind of a new procedure. With standard surgery, doctors cut out part of the lung. It's a risky procedure that doesn't always work. With a biologic lung volume reduction, a gel is inserted through a bronchoscope. It causes diseased tissue to collapse and healthy tissue to work better. After a month, the gel biodegrades.
Gerard Criner: Their quality of life is improved. They are less breathless. They can have, makes all the difference between a good day and a better day for them.
Jennifer Matthews: Susan was the fifth person in the country to have it. And after the half-hour procedure, she was back home, the next day.
Susan Morris: It has helped me 100%. I can't remember the last time, I was able to breathe.
Jennifer Matthews: And she hopes it will help her stick around.
Susan Morris: I'm so happy, I can hopefully get to see my grandchildren grow up.
Jennifer Matthews: This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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