A Bay Shore man saved by a machine with an artificial lung at Long Island Jewish Medical Center had a lot to be thankful for today when he met with the doctors who saved his life.

Sean Jordan was hospitalized with pneumonia last New Year’s Eve but was hoping to be discharged when he coughed so violently that he fractured a rib, which then punctured his lung. His wife, Danielle Jordan, said her husband had been fine but then she got a call in the middle of the night to get to the hospital. She said he was "blown up like a balloon and on the brink of death.”

Sean was transferred from South Shore University Hospital to LIJ.

“Sean’s lungs were failing," said Dr. Zubair Hasan.

An ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine saved his life. Hasan said the machine “was doing his lungs’ job for about six days straight until his lungs healed enough to kind of take over again.”

Sean, a father of two, left the hospital Jan. 14 in good health and with a fresh perspective. He said this experience taught him that “tomorrow isn’t promised.”