Laura Rothenberg, 22; Her Audio Diary, Book Tell of Life With Illness
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Laura Rothenberg, 22, who recorded an audio diary and wrote a book about her battle with cystic fibrosis, died Thursday in New York City. The cause of death was chronic rejection of a lung transplant, complicated by infection.
To detail her struggle with the genetic disease that causes mucus to build up in the lungs, pancreas and other organs, Rothenberg recorded the two-year-long diary, “My So-Called Lungs.”
The diary was broadcast on NPR’s “All Things Considered” in August 2002.
In her recordings, the young woman described her decision to undergo a lung transplant in July 2001 and the ailments that followed, including lymphoma, diabetes and a broken hip.
She also spoke about a surprise “lung retirement party” given by her friends at Brown University before the surgery.
Rothenberg, an English major at Brown, also wrote a memoir, “Breathing for a Living.” The book is scheduled for publication in July.
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