Ep. 4: Cassie
Stay tuned for a Motherhood Feels conversation with seasoned mom Cassie Buckner. Cassie, is a former teacher, now serves as a deacon at Riverside Presbyterian Church where she is actively involved in grief ministry, and mom to her 13-year-old daughter Sophia. Cassie’s medical health plays a significant role in her motherhood experience. From the age of 11-17, Cassie dealt with recurrent lung infections. She was ultimately diagnosed with obliterative bronchiolitis, a condition that required her to undergo a double lung transplant in order to survive – and she has done just that! Cassie has endured over 50 surgeries. One of those surgeries, an airway reconstruction in 2007, resulted in a severed vocal chord. As a result, Cassie speaks with a soft whisper and has to work harder to breathe. June of this year will mark the 25th anniversary of her bilateral lung transplant. For reference, lung transplant patients are faced with scary post-transplant statistics. Median survival following a lung transplant is four to six years and very few live beyond 20 years. So, 25 years is quite an amazing milestone! In addition to her strength and fortitude, she is also one of the first to bring you a casserole for good and hard things in life, is a hands-down fantastic friend, and is a self-identified “hugger” – something I am not. Listen in to Cassie’s remarkable story – one that is full of grace and grit. Check her out next!