INRtest
Well-known member
I want to relate a story about generosity, technology and specifically about my cousin's wife, here-to-fore known as "my cousin."
My cousin works with special needs kids, in addiiton to attending graduate school in the evening. One of her students, "Sally" is a 12 year old girl with end-stage cystic fibrosis. Sally had been at the top of the recipient list for a lung transplant in the 8 to 11 age group, but did not get a suitable donor. When Sally had her 12th birthday, she fell to the bottom of the 12 to 18 age group.
Sally's mother is willing to be one donor, and my cousin is going to be the second. Apparently, we have 5 lobes of lungs and not just two big airbags, three on one side and two on the other. The surgery involves an incision below the rib cage toward the back, where they take one lobe from the three-lobe side.
Sally's lungs will be completely removed and the two donor lobes are put in their place. Since the donors are both adult, and she is a small girl, the size match is good, and lungs tend to expand to fill the area available to them.
If the surgery is successful, Sally can enjoy the next 30 yrs., rather than succumbing to CF in the next weeks or months. My cousin and Sally's mother will have about a week in the hosp., followed by 4 to 6 wks. recovery at home.
Strangest part of this story is that though I don't know my cousin very well, during my 3-week, drug-induced coma in the CICU last yr., I dreampt about her acting as a concierge/helper/god-mother whilst my wife & I travelled through Europe
I think that we are lucky to have artificial heart valves available rather than having to seek a donor.
My cousin works with special needs kids, in addiiton to attending graduate school in the evening. One of her students, "Sally" is a 12 year old girl with end-stage cystic fibrosis. Sally had been at the top of the recipient list for a lung transplant in the 8 to 11 age group, but did not get a suitable donor. When Sally had her 12th birthday, she fell to the bottom of the 12 to 18 age group.
Sally's mother is willing to be one donor, and my cousin is going to be the second. Apparently, we have 5 lobes of lungs and not just two big airbags, three on one side and two on the other. The surgery involves an incision below the rib cage toward the back, where they take one lobe from the three-lobe side.
Sally's lungs will be completely removed and the two donor lobes are put in their place. Since the donors are both adult, and she is a small girl, the size match is good, and lungs tend to expand to fill the area available to them.
If the surgery is successful, Sally can enjoy the next 30 yrs., rather than succumbing to CF in the next weeks or months. My cousin and Sally's mother will have about a week in the hosp., followed by 4 to 6 wks. recovery at home.
Strangest part of this story is that though I don't know my cousin very well, during my 3-week, drug-induced coma in the CICU last yr., I dreampt about her acting as a concierge/helper/god-mother whilst my wife & I travelled through Europe
I think that we are lucky to have artificial heart valves available rather than having to seek a donor.
