Samantha Rick

Samantha, who was diagnosed at age 3, has been living with cystic fibrosis since 1980. Originally from Wisconsin, she has lived in California since 2003. Samantha earned her bachelor's degree in social science and health with a minor in sociology. She helps adults in the criminal justice system as a case manager for the Alternative Sentencing Program under the Plumas County District Attorney's Office. A firm believer in exercise, Samantha kept her lungs healthy through her late 20s but at the age of 31 she underwent a double-lung transplant. She went for five years without being hospitalized or needing to rely on portable oxygen, before she developed chronic rejection in the spring of 2016 and had to be hospitalized until she could receive new lungs. On Oct. 11, 2017, she received the gift of life once again and has been doing well ever since. Samantha spends her free time rock climbing, mountain biking, traveling, and volunteering with her local CF chapter. She is also a member of Community Voice and is a mentor for the CF Peer Connect and the Lung Transplant Foundation.