Fawn Kruger, a 35-year-old woman from Johannesburg, appears to be an ordinary person.
She is married, has four dogs, has her own business, and hangs out with her friends regularly.
But Kruger is unique because, ten years ago, in an effort to save her life, both of her lungs were removed and replaced with those from a donor.
Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary condition that Kruger was born with. Lifelong suffering from this degenerative condition needs constant intrusive medical care.
The disease affects a number of organs, but the lungs are the vulnerable because they are filled with a thick, sticky mucus that progressively destroys them until the patient is unable to breathe.
It is "exhausting and agonising, like having a bronchitis infection every day of your life“, Kruger says.
86.4% of all mutations have the G542X and 4.6% have the F508del cystic fibrosis mutation. Kruger has one F508del gene and one G542X gene, which is a far more serious mutation to correct than the two F508del genes shared by the majority of patients.
Kruger was born in Zimbabwe and was given the diagnosis of "CF" at the age of one. Her regular therapies included being nebulised twice a day with chest physio and taking digestive enzymes with each meal.
When she was 13 years old, she was spending two weeks in hospital, receiving intravenous antibiotics every three months.
Her life was severely disrupted by this, and her lungs were only getting worse. Prior to her transplant, Kruger was hospitalised for more than 700 days.
"I never knew how I would feel by the time the date rolled around, so I couldn't arrange anything with my pals. I was either in the hospital or simply too sick to attend so many important events,“ she said.
Eventually, the condition of her lungs was so bad that she needed to be hooked up to an oxygen machine all the time in order to breathe. "My lips would turn blue as soon as I removed the oxygen tubing to wash my face, and I would feel dizzy."
She had an insulin pump linked to her, an oxygen tube in her nose, a feeding tube surgically placed in her stomach, and a portacath in her neck for medication access. She was now on the waiting list for a double lung transplant.
A lung transplant is what?
To replace a sick or failing lung with a healthy lung, typically from a deceased donor, requires lengthy surgery. A lung transplant is only recommended for those whose illnesses have not substantially improved after trying drugs or other therapies.
A lung transplant may include replacing one or both lungs, depending on the patient’s medical condition.
Who is eligible for a lung transplant?
Not everyone needs a lung transplant as a kind of treatment. You might not be a suitable candidate for a lung transplant because of a number of problems. Before the operation, a thorough assessment is performed, and you must essentially be 'healthy' enough to survive the procedure.
Only in cases when the transplant team believes you have fewer than two years to live are lung transplants considered. Given that some patients had to wait up to four years for lungs, this is pretty alarming.
How long do lungs after transplant last? (3)
- The one-year survival rate is 79.5%.
- 50% during the first five years
- 10 years is 30.4%.
Why do lung transplants not succeed?
Your immune system protects your body from foreign chemicals, thus there is a risk of rejection.
Your immune system will attempt to assault and reject your new lungs even if you and the donor are the finest possible match.
Immunosuppressant medicines are a part of the pharmaceutical regimen following transplantation in an effort to avoid rejection.
These medications come with a long list of adverse effects and must be taken (on schedule) for the remainder of your life.
Anti-rejection medications decrease your immune system, which leaves your body more vulnerable to infections, especially in the lungs. These infections have the potential to be fatal and can result in rejection.
Kruger learned that a match had been discovered for her in March 2013 and that she could now undergo the procedure to replace her lungs.
She spent three months in the hospital recuperating from a multitude of issues following the eigh-hour treatment.
Kruger needed roughly a year to regain the mental and physical power she had lost over the years after being released from the hospital.
From there, it was all upward as she delighted in performing feats that her "original" lungs would never have allowed.
"Over the previous ten years, I've experienced so many firsts, and I'm very appreciative to my donor for providing me an opportunity to genuinely experience life for the first time," she said.
Only 22 patients in South Africa have undergone a lung transplant for ten or more years, and Kruger is one of them.
She celebrates her "lungaversary" every year, and 2023 is no exception. Kruger intends to celebrate the event with all of her friends, family, and certain members of her medical staff.
To help improve the amount of transplants performed in SA, Kruger co-founded Transplant Education for Living Legacies (TELL).
"Losing friends who didn't receive a transplant in time is one of the worst aspects of this disease," she says.
At her 10 year lungaversary party, she has requested that all of her guests donate to TELL in place of receiving presents.
She wants to earn R10 000 to help TELL in its ongoing campaigns to inform the public and medical professionals about organ donation and to support patients.
Please use the Backabuddy link provided if you would like to donate:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/fawns-10-year-lungaversary
Alternatively, please use the banking details below:
Name: TELL NPO
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Account type: Cheque
Account no: 62818725775
Branch code: 250655
Reference: 10YOURNAME
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ