Battling rare disease, Ahwatukee man needs double lung transplant

Ed Kriesel was 47 and a single dad when he was diagnosed with a rare lung disease known as genetic emphysema.

Though he was never a smoker, the diagnosis of Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, or genetic COPD, was discovered after he began experiencing a shortness of breath that was quite noticeable in a man accustomed to regular, if strenuous, physical activities.

Discovering the cause of his breathing difficulties took more than a year of visiting various doctors, receiving many misdiagnoses and being prescribed a plethora of medications and antibiotics.