Shannon King had been active and seemingly healthy his entire life, so when some of his physical abilities first started to wane he thought it was just part of getting older. But as his stamina and strength continued to diminish, he knew he was dealing with more than just normal aging. Shannon was eventually diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, a protein that protects the lungs and the liver. It became evident very quickly that Shannon would need a lung transplant in order to survive.