Sarah Murnaghan and her mother, Janet
Sarah Murnaghan, the 10 year-old Pennsylvania girl who stole the heart of America while fighting for the double lung transplant that saved her life, may finally be going home at the end of this week.
According to CBSPhilly.com, Sarah has been making great progress and was officially taken off oxygen – after needing it for two and half years – on August 24.
Being oxygen-dependent and immobilized for so long while in the end stages of cystic fibrosis caused her to suffer significant physical deterioration. Her recovery is now focused on building muscle strength in her legs, arms, core and the muscles around her lungs so that she can begin to breathe properly on her own. The family reports that she is now walking short distances with a walker.
Thus far, her new lungs are showing no signs of rejection and the latest x-rays reveal that she fought off the pneumonia she caught from being intubated.
Sarah battle, although hard-fought, ended not only with allowing her to receive a set of new lungs, but opened the door for other children to receive adult organs who were formerly denied access due to national transplant rules. Her parents’ successfully challenged the rules in court and won, winning a new lease on life for Sarah as well as other children like her.
Tracy Simon, a spokeswoman for the family, said a final decision has not yet been made on when Sarah will leave Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, but it is expected to be sometime later this week.
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