NJPAC Creates Memorable Moment for Lung Transplant Recipient at Kumail Nanjiani Comedy Show

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) recently created a one-of-a-kind experience for lung transplant recipient Dawn Burke, who attended Kumail Nanjiani’s Doing This Again comedy show on Saturday, June 21, as part of the third annual Prudential North to Shore Festival in Newark.

Burke, a longtime resident of Keyport, NJ, received two complimentary tickets to the performance and enjoyed a personal meet-and-greet with Nanjiani — the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated star of The Big Sick, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and Welcome to Chippendales.

The special opportunity marked a joyful milestone in Burke’s health journey following a life-saving lung transplant performed by the team at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 2019.

In June 2019, Burke received a new right lung after two years on the transplant wait list. Her procedure was conducted at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, home to New Jersey’s only Advanced Pulmonary and Lung Transplant Program.

Nanjiani’s performance was part of the North to Shore Festival, which took place from June 14–29 with events in Asbury Park and Newark, and additional programming throughout the year in Atlantic City.