Diagnosed with interstitial lung disease in late 2021, Amanda Atkins was told "it was a transplant or nothing." She sought out the Vanderbilt Transplant Center where, in March 2024, the team performed an anterior thoracotomy with cryoablation, avoiding a broken sternum. Atkins had little post-operative pain and quickly got back to hiking, a favorite hobby. Her successful transplant in March 2024 was one was one of a record 99 lung transplants at the center last year.