Sacramento Woman Who Underwent Double Lung Transplant Gets Welcome Home Celebration

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Sunday saw a homecoming celebration for a Sacramento woman beating the odds.

Three months ago, Renee Erickson Sullivan underwent a double lung transplant following complications due to a rare lung disease, a disease that is often deadly.

"Every single morning when I wake up I treasure the breath that I take now," Sullivan said.

"Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a killer disease and people don't know about it," she added.

But for Sullivan, it was all about the fight – and the battle was won.

"We thought we were going to lose her, and she fought like a warrior," said Bob Erickson, Sullivan's brother.

Now Sullivan not only gets a chance to breathe again but to see those who matter most – family and friends.

"It's these people who pulled me through, actually got me through," she said.

Following her long hospital stay in San Francisco, Sullivan finally came home and was greeted with a wealth of love.

On Sunday morning, friends, family and those who even followed her journey on Facebook loaded into their cars and welcomed her back home with a special parade.

"I'm like the luckiest woman in the whole world," Sullivan said.

And among all those who reunited with this warrior was her mother, who struggled with not being able to hug her own child.

Gloria Smellie, Mother

"It's hard, but I have to do what's best for her and everybody else," said Gloria Smellie, Sullivan's mother.

But as tears welled up in her eyes, Smellie said she finds solace in knowing her daughter is home and healthy.

"She's gonna be fine because she's got the spirit and the drive and all the love she can want," Smellie said.