New lease on life for five lung transplant patients

Five people from all walks of life -- a special ed teacher, a judge, a grandmother, an executive director and a 21-year-old woman -- each received a breath of fresh air and a new chance at life, thanks to organ donation and a ground-breaking series of operations.

A team of 30 doctors and nurses at Loyola University Health System near Chicago worked for more than 24 hours straight, performing five transplants with the lungs from three donors.

Typically, on average, five lung transplants are done each day nationwide.

"None of this obviously is possible without loved ones and patients and people willing to donate their organs and they're the true heroes along with our five recipients here today," Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz, Loyola Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation, told CBS Chicago.

Julie D'Agostino and Robert Senander each received a lung from the same donor.

"It was a miracle that I even got the lungs," said D'Agostino.

"The whole thing is rather amazing, that this has all happened, in the matter of a week," said Senander as he started to cry.

Watch the video above to see their remarkable story.