Cornelia registered for the DREAM which included double-lung transplants for patients with advanced cancers (Pic: Healthday/iStock)
By last year, Cornelia could no longer breathe without an oxygen tank.
Cornelia underwent a bilateral lung transplant.
“Cornelia had failed every other medical treatment available to her, including surgeries, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, but the cancer continued to progress to stage 4 and became so advanced that it was causing her lungs to fail,” said Bharat, who performed Cornelia’s surgery. “She couldn’t breathe, and a lung transplant was her only option to fix the lung failure, remove all the cancer cells from her body, and give her a fighting chance to be there for her twins,” Bharat said.
Cornelia underwent surgery on Christmas last year. “Receiving my lung transplant on December 26 was the best Christmas present I could have asked for,” she said. “I remember waking up and thinking for the first time in a long time, I will be able to go to museums and go for bike rides with my kids without bringing an oxygen tank with me.
“I could finally breathe again,” she continued. “It was such a gift that I don’t take for granted, and I encourage everyone (who is able) to register as an organ donor—not just in the United States, but also in Germany.”
What happens in a bilateral lung transplant?
The bilateral lung transplant surgery involves putting the patient on full heart and lung bypass, gently removing both cancer-ridden lungs along with the lymph nodes, then washing the airways and the chest cavity to clear away cancer cells before putting in the new lungs.
According to experts, to receive a lung transplant, you must have a serious lung condition that does not respond to medications and other treatments.
For a double lung transplant, your healthcare provider will use a scalpel to make a horizontal incision across your entire chest, underneath your breast tissue. The doctor will then remove your diseased or damaged lung and replace it with your donor’s lung. They will connect your blood vessels and airways with small surgical needles and thread. Blood vessels allow your transplanted lung to receive blood, which keeps your tissues alive.
Once the blood begins to flow to your transplanted lung and air passes through your airways, the doctors will place small silicone tubes in your affected areas to drain blood, fluid, and air out of your chest. These drainage tubes also help your new lungs expand entirely. They will also disconnect you from any machines that were used to facilitate the surgery. They won’t remove the mechanical ventilator or the catheter.
Finally, they will stitch your incision closed and cover your affected areas with bandages.
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