SHEFFIELD LAKE, Ohio — This new year, a Northeast Ohio family is feeling extra grateful.
Their teenage daughter who nearly died after contracting the flu is on the mend and getting back to what she loved.
Her family says it's a miraculous medical journey.
The entire experience has been surreal.
They never expected her condition to get as bad as it did after contracting something as common as the flu.
She had no pre-existing conditions.
A double lung transplant saved her life.
They now credit the doctors at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital as well as Nationwide Children's in Columbus for giving her a second chance.
Maggie Rising went from a perfectly healthy and active 15-year-old who loved playing the clarinet in marching band, to being hospitalized and unable to do anything on her own *virtually* overnight.
"I almost died a lot of times," Rising said.
The now 16-year-old says the last year plus has been an unbelievable journey of ups and downs.
"It all started back in November of 2022. On the 29th, I got admitted to Rainbow Babies Hospital Cleveland," Rising said.
Rising was admitted for acute respiratory distress syndrome following a battle with the flu.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and I could not breathe for the life of me, and I felt like everything was slushing around inside my lungs," Rising said.
Things got worse as her health rapidly failed.
Doctors and nurses worked around the clock to save her at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
"I barely remember anything. I would sleep all the time. I would have weird dreams," Rising said.
After nearly three months there—her medical team ultimately determined a lung transplant was necessary and a transfer to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus was the answer.
It's where she would spend the next six months fighting every day.
"Honestly we don't really know how it progressed into what it did. We just know that one day the doctors listened to my lungs. They were not good. They were necrotic," Rising said.
"That influenza unfortunately progressed to the most severe effects on the lungs and caused her to go into respiratory failure," Dr. Stephen Kirkby, Medical Director of the Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said.
Rising's mother, Chrystal Thomas, was by her bedside every day witnessing several close calls.
"They told us—hey call everybody, she's not gonna make it. All of her organs are failing. It's not good," Thomas said.
Thomas says she knew her daughter was a fighter and continued to encourage her to power through even in the darkest of times.
"I went in there and I just let Maggie know, I don't know if you can hear me but some dude you don't know is trying to tell you what to do and I know you don't like that. You're gonna make me look bad if you don't pull out of this," Thomas said.
Rising continued to power through and overcome every obstacle before her.
Over time the perfect match came in and she received a double lung transplant that would change her life forever.
"It was really a whole team involved—to get her through this. not just surgery, medications, ICU care. It shows the importance of physical therapy, pharmacy, and nursing and getting her back home," Kirkby said.
"It's very difficult to get a match. I know kids that have been in the hospital for lungs that have been there for years," Rising said.
Rising spent her 16th birthday in the hospital, but eventually made it back home to Sheffield Lake.
The community rallied around her by sporting shirts and hoodies that say "Magic For Maggie" and fundraising on her behalf.
She reflects on the days of playing the clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor sax and how strong she once was.
"Specifically my lungs. I used to have a really good lung capacity because I'm in marching band, concert band, jazz band, and orchestra," Rising said.
She's now starting a new chapter in life and taking things day by day but trusting in the recovery process.
During senior night in the fall, she took on the role of drum major and directed Brookside High School's marching band with pride.
"I'm gonna be honest. I was shaking there. Going one-two-three. One-two-three-four. You were just focused on the counts," Rising said.
Her gratitude to her community, hospital staff, and everyone around her is beyond measure.
The roof of her home is adorned with Christmas Lights that read "Thank You" and hearts.
Rising continues to celebrate the little things each day.
"I would not be here without them," Rising said.
Overall, Rising says she is doing well.
She still goes back to the doctor regularly for checkups, therapy, and additional care.
She is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated if they feel comfortable, as she never expected to get so sick from the flu.
