Colorado man getting new lease on life thanks to wife's donation through paired kidney exchange program

Colorado resident Heston Gray thought he was dealing with a bad sinus infection.

"My joints were really stiff. I was having trouble going up and down stairs," recalled Gray. "It just kept getting worse."

Within days, Heston was in the hospital. In total, he spent 33 days in the hospital, including four days in the ICU and three on a ventilator.

"It's a little weird to wake up in ICU, strapped to the bed with a tube in your throat," said Heston.

"It was pretty horrifying. I'll be honest. It was pretty scary," said his wife Holly.

Heston and Holly Gray CBS

Heston was diagnosed with ANCA Vasculitis, an auto-immune disease that was affecting his kidneys.

"It was pretty traumatic for me. I went from being completely healthy with my kidneys to 30 days later they weren't working at all.