Chicago area trumpet player receives double lung transplant

CHICAGO (CBS) – A local musician is back to pursuing his passion after undergoing a double lung transplant.

Cameras were rolling as he played his trumpet for the first time.

Dan Spees, who works for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, said he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again. One of his doctors spoke about the remarkable coincidence that his passion could be part of his recovery.

“It was so wonderful to know that what we were doing during this session, what he loved to do, was also improving those foundational skills that are going to be so important for his ability to go and live the life that he wants to live,” said Brittany Hatlestad, an occupational therapist at Northwestern Medicine.

Spees said he still has a long way to go before he can play at the level he used to, but he has no doubt he’ll get there.