SEATTLE -- The University of Washington Medical Center completed its first heart-lung transplant Monday, and Thursday the patient’s family and doctors spoke about the experience.

Thirty-year-old, Maria Wray, the patient’s sister, said she knows something about what her brother is going through, as she had a heart transplant at UWMC not long ago.

“This hospital's been wonderful, and before my transplant it was really nerve-wracking, and with Patrick, it was too, but the reason he finally decided to go ahead with his transplant was because they were going to do it here,” said Wray.

Shortly after high school, Patrick Farris, 30, developed several lung infections. At first, he seemed to have recovered, his family said.

“It’s been within the last year that he’s really declined in health to where he couldn’t hardly walk around the house anymore,” said Wray.

On Thursday, three days after this major surgery Farris is up and walking without the oxygen he's needed for years.

"So this is a fairly dramatic change in the short run. They still have to deal with issues of immunosuppression, but they have a whole new life,” said Dr. Edward Verrier.

“He's really excited to do the things that he was able to do in high school, that he hasn't been able to do for years,” said Wray.

Farris faces a regimen of post-operative therapy to keep his body from rejecting the transplant, but doctors said his quality of life will be much better than it was just before the surgery.