A local woman survives a second double-lung transplant and needs your help in recovery

SAN ANTONIO — A new twist in a story of resilience we’ve covered for over three years now.

Cynthia—Cindy—Garcia underwent a double-lung transplant back in 2021. She was the first person to have the surgery due to COVID-19 complications.

Now, we’re learning she just survived the same surgery, again. Everyday is a step forward for Garcia.

“It is a very hard situation in going through this with your family,” Garcia said.

The San Antonio mom is a double-lung transplant survivor, which is the result of a long battle with covid more than three years ago we’ve covered extensively.

Cindy’s recovery has been filled with several doctor and emergency room visits.

“It’s been hard for all of us, but we just as long as we know that she’s going to be be fine. We’ll just, we’ll pull through that, whatever we need to do,” Alex Garcia said.

This is the same mentality Cindy and her husband Alex had when they got the news she needed a second double lung transplant.

“I was thinking of my kids, and I was like, I’m not ready. I know it was going to be a major surgery, so I wasn’t ready to have a second transplant,” Cindy said.

About two months later Cindy got the call she had been waiting for.

“[I] picked it up, and the lady goes, ‘Cynthia Garcia’ and I said, ‘yes?’ She goes, ‘we have a match for you. We have a donor for you’,” Cindy said.

“By the next day, she was on the operating table, and it just everything fast, fast. Everything happened so, so fast,” Alex said.

Cindy is now in recovery and thankful for those who are organ donors to give her this chance. She’s fighting to heal in Houston where the surgery took place.

“I need to get strength. So, they’re going to start physical therapy on me,” Cindy said.

Alex is working while taking care of their two children while supporting his wife any way he can.

“At 45 years old, I’m glad she did it and it turned out. It turned out great as of now,” Alex said.

“I have a lot of faith that you know everything is going to go well, and we just we follow faith,” Cindy said.

CLICK HERE if you’d like to help support the family financially with Cindy’s recovery.

Cindy said after her first double-lung transplant several of her friends became organ donors.

CLICK HERE if you would like to learn how you can do the same.