Illinois man, 73, gets new lung at Ky. hospital

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Illinois man, 73, gets new lung at Ky. hospital

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A Louisville hospital says a 73-year-old Illinois patient who recently underwent a lung transplant is the oldest person in Kentucky ever to receive a new lung.

Bill Ray was in Louisville Thursday for some diagnostic tests. He underwent the surgery at Jewish Hospital in November and says he feels like he's nearly back to normal health.

Ray says after falling ill with pulmonary fibrosis in 2011, he applied to several hospitals for a transplant but was only offered a new lung at the Louisville transplant center. Other hospitals typically impose an age restriction on potential transplant patients.

Ray, who lives in Zeigler in southern Illinois, turned 74 last month.

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