LOS ANGELES — Initially, Valance Sams thought his breathing issues and tiredness stemmed from a common cold, or maybe the flu.

After a visit with a Cedars-Sinai doctor, he quickly learned his condition would be far worse. Sams was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a rare condition that creates scar tissue in the heart.

His condition led to him needing three organ transplants: a heart, liver and a kidney.

After 10 years of waiting and about one month being hospitalized, he finally underwent a 20-hour surgery, receiving all three organs from an organ donor.

Sams is one of 46 people in the U.S. to receive a heart, liver and kidney transplant since 1989, according to the United Network For Organ Sharing.