Sarah is making the most of life following transplant

Hamish Hutchinson • Published 31 Mar 2010 10:48 0 Comments

A TRANSPLANT patient battling the degenerative disease Cystic Fibrosis is now living life to the full nearly two years after her life saving operation.

Sarah Murray (25), of Sauchie, can look forward to a brighter future after undergoing a double lung transplant operation two years ago in June at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Despite suffering a few setbacks since her operation, including a rejection two months after surgery, Sarah is setting her sights firmly on the future.

Sarah told the Advertiser, "My quality of life has just turned around since the transplant. My life is just like any other 25-year-old's and I am in the process of looking for a job.

"Before the transplant I wasn't going out unless it was to do my shopping. I didn't want to go out to dinner or go out and meet people but now everything is just how life should be.

"I had a small rejection two months after my transplant and had to go back to Newcastle but thankfully that hasn't happened again and doctors have said that I could easily get another 20 or 30 years out of my new lungs if I don't get any more rejection. It isn't unusual for someone to have a rejection as it takes a while for your body to realise that the new lungs are meant to be there"

Sarah experienced problems due to excess acid, which is produced by the stomach due to nerves being cut during the transplant itself.

This affected the capacity of Sarah's new lungs with breathing test revealing she only had 20 to 30 per cent capacity. However, a further procedure means Sarah now has 80 per cent lung capacity.

She went on, "One of the biggest things for me is that my weight is back to normal as I always struggled before to get my weight up to a normal BMI.

"In order to get the transplant I had to get up to eight stone and now I hover around the 10 stone mark which is a big achievement for me."

Sarah has had a life long desire to be a nurse, although doctors at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where she spent a lot of her childhood, have told her this isn't advisable due to the risk of infection. She is now pursuing jobs in the care sector.

Sarah added, "I always wanted to be a nurse but after thinking about it I realised I would have to do an access course at college and then three years at university. I feel like I just want to get out there and get a job and get on with my life - it's the only thing missing now.

"I'd like to do something in the community or care sector and will probably work part-time to begin with as I don't want to do too much too soon. The last thing I want is to just sit around as that defeats the whole point of getting better."

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