McFARLAND, Wis. -- Heart transplants were experimental 25 years ago, and the life expectancy for those receiving transplants was short.

So when Wisconsin resident Jim Ryan went into a Minnesota hospital in 1983 to receive a heart transplant, his long-term odds for survival were bleak.

On Saturday afternoon, Ryan celebrated 25 years of beating those odds.

Jim Ryan was suffering from cardiomyopothy, a disease that causes the heart muscle to become inflamed. His only chance of survival was a new procedure then deemed very risky.

He celebrated with those who helped him survive for the last 25 years.

"We were going to do it on my 20th, and I thought, 'No, it's too soon.' It really was. Emotionally, I wasn't ready," said Ryan.

Family and friends gathered in McFarland on Saturday for a celebration that even Ryan thought would never come.

"The fact that I’m seeing these people is amazing for one thing. Most of them were very instrumental in helping me get my transplant. And they did a lot for me and my family that I can never repay," said Ryan.

In 1983, insurance wouldn't cover the operation because it was considered too experimental.

His friends and family came to Ryan's aid and raised more than $100,000 to help cover the costs.

It gave Ryan a second chance, and he vowed not to take it lightly.

"Once you get through the surgery, the hard part is staying alive, taking the drugs, some of which are cancer causing; some have real terrible side effects. But the alternative is, without those drugs, you wouldn't be here." said Ryan.

For Ryan to live, someone else's family had to lose a loved one. When Sara Kemps was struck by a drunk driver, she became Ryan's donor.

Kemps's sister, Maripat Franke, said Saturday that the two families are now one.

"What my mother went through is just something a parent should never have to go through, but her sanity was kept in tact just by knowing that Jim had all these years with his family. To see something good come out of it does help," said Franke.

The event was truly a celebration of life, and a celebration of family, friendship and sacrifice.

"It's just hard for me to say thank you. I just don't have the words," said Ryan.

Jim Ryan said he still has to take medication twice a day, medication that has made him diabetic, but he's not complaining.

His oldest son, who's now 34, said of his father's milestone, "Who knows, maybe one day we'll be celebrating 50 years."