Distillery Owner Returns to Work After Double Lung Transplant

Tyson Schnitker stands behind the bar of his Brooklyn Park distillery today, but last spring he was fighting for his life in a hospital bed.

In June 2025, the co-owner of Skaalvenn Distillery underwent a double lung transplant after battling severe lung disease. Surgeons removed each diseased lung, disconnecting them from his heart and trachea, then implanted healthy donor organs that would give him decades more to live.

Less than a year later, Tyson has returned to work. He walks the same floors where he once crafted award-winning spirits, greeting customers and checking in with staff at the Brooklyn Park cocktail room he built with his wife, Mary.

The recovery hasn't been simple. Tyson takes a strict regimen of medications for the rest of his life and follows dietary restrictions that include an unexpected irony: he can no longer drink the alcohol he creates.

"I can be back here, but it's always kind of bittersweet," Tyson said. "I make alcohol, but I can't drink it. It interferes with my meds."

Why This Inspires

For Tyson, missing out on gin and tonics barely registers as a sacrifice. He's gained something infinitely more valuable: time with his family and the chance to continue building the business he loves.

"I'd like to live another 20, 30 or more years," he said. "That's more important to me."

Tyson knows his second chance came from a stranger's final act of generosity. That awareness drives Skaalvenn's April initiative: a 10 percent discount for all registered organ donors, timed to coincide with National Donate Life Month.

The gesture honors not just the person who saved Tyson's life, but the thousands of donors who make medical miracles possible. According to national transplant data, one organ donor can save up to eight lives.

Meanwhile, bar manager Luke Young has designed a Cambodian New Year menu celebrating co-owner Mary's heritage. The timing feels appropriate: a celebration of culture, community, and new beginnings happening in a space that almost lost its founder.

The Cambodian flag hanging above Skaalvenn's bar now represents more than cultural pride. It's a reminder that second chances come from the kindness of strangers, one donor card at a time.