Tera Winfree

Tera Winfree has lived with the chronic lung disease Cystic Fibrosis all her life. She was very active until the flu, pneumonia and a lung infection required her to use an oxygen tank. Tera came to a SilverSneakers class to give her body whatever exercise she could manage. Her condition worsened and severe fatigue set in. Before long, Tera was down to 91 pounds and too weak to leave her home. Her SilverSneakers network of friends led to her registering for the national transplant list. In late 2009, she underwent a double lung transplant. Within seven days after her surgery, she was taking a few steps. Her doctors attributed her swift recovery to her sticking with exercise. Sixty days after her surgery, Tera drove herself back to her local SilverSneakers class and walked in without an oxygen tank.