Lincoln-Way Grad, Recipient of Double Lung Transplant Dies at 19

Friends and family are mourning the loss of Rachel Sweet, a young woman who inspired many with her determination during a battle with cystic fibrosis and bravery following a double lung transplant.

Sweet died Saturday, Dec. 31 at the age of 19.

A Mokena native and a graduate of Lincoln-Way West, Sweet made headlines after receiving the transplant in March 2014. A sufferer of cystic fibrosis since age 4, her positivity made her adored by classmates and friends.

Just a year after her transplant, Sweet was ecstatic to walk across the stage in step with her classmates at their high school graduation. She shared her story with Patch shortly after their big day.

"I was determined to not let my transplant interfere with me graduating with my class that I started with,” she told Patch. “All my teachers, friends, family, supporters were there and it was nice for them all to see me complete this important chapter in my life.”

Prior to her surgery, cystic fibrosis rendered her homebound her first three years at the school. The disorder typically fills lungs with fluid, making even the simplest tasks and experiences difficult, or even impossible. The transplant enabled her to rejoin her peers in everyday activities.

She sat in the stands at football games and danced at her senior prom, all topped by the chance to walk across the stage to receive her diploma. TV news camera crews were waiting to interview Sweet after her big moment, and the teen met them with undaunted self-assurance.

In late-November, Sweet fell ill with an aggressive form of the common cold, she shared on social media. "With my lungs already being sick, and me having little to no immune system, it really took advantage of my body," she wrote in early December. Doctors began testing to put her back on the transplant list. Even in updating friends on her health, her optimism shone through.

She had hoped to receive new lungs in the beginning of the new year. She would have celebrated her 20th birthday on Jan. 14.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6 at Kurtz Memorial Chapel, 102 E. Francis Rd. A full obituary can be found online.