If you haven’t been following the story of 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan, a girl from Pennsylvania with the life-threatening respiratory disease, Cystic Fibrosis, let us catch you up real quick:
Sarah, who has been in and out of hospitals her entire life because of her disease, was given less than five weeks to live after her condition worsened this year. Her lungs had been deteriorating rapidly over the past few months – much faster than anyone in her family expected, and in May, doctors told her mother Janet Murnaghan that she had less than five weeks.
Her family then had to fight to have young children prioritized for adult organs. But, in a turn for the better, their fight was successful, because Sarah received new lungs yesterday.
Her surgery took about six hours, and there were no complications resizing or transplanting the adult lungs, according to family spokeswoman Tracy Simon.
Sarah’s mother posted on Facebook that the surgery was a success:
We are thrilled to share that Sarah is out of surgery. Her doctors are very pleased with both her progress during the procedure and her prognosis for recovery.
Sarah went into surgery around 11 a.m. and was prepped and ready for the adult donor lungs when they arrived at the hospital. The procedure lasted about six hours and we received regular updates throughout the day. The surgeons had no challenges resizing and transplanting the donor lungs – the surgery went smoothly and Sarah did extremely well.
For a little bit more about the complications regarding the transplant, CNN reports:
The parents’ push for an organ transplant policy change has thrust the issue of who gets donated organs into the national spotlight. Earlier this week, the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network‘s executive committee approved a one-year change that makes children younger than 12 eligible for priority on adult lung transplant lists.
Sarah received lungs donated by an adult, according to Simon, meaning the lungs needed to be modified. An OPTN news release said Monday that since 2007 only one patient younger than 12 had received adult lungs.
And as far as Sarah’s recovery:
A statement said the family was elated and that the doctors say Sarah’s prognosis is good.
“We expect it will be a long road, but we’re not going for easy, we’re going for possible. And an organ donor has made this possible for her,” the family said, calling the family of the deceased person who donated the lungs “true heroes.”
Sarah “did extremely well” and was in intensive care after the procedure, Simon said.
SOURCE: CNN
