On May 12, 2005, a surgeon at a general hospital in Dublin performed Ireland's first lung transplant.
Veronica Doyle (56 at the time), from Limerick, underwent surgery for three hours to implant her left lung.
Ms Doyle's quality of life and life expectancy changed, and she lived there for another 15 years until 2020.
A total of 379 lung transplants were then performed at the mother's National Lung Transport Centre, celebrating the 20th anniversary on Friday, bringing together many involved staff and their previous patients.
The first lung transplant was performed by Professor Freddie Wood, a now-retired cardiothoracic surgeon. He recalled that the odds were not good for transplant patients at the time, so he said.
“This level of complexity always means there's always a chance of failure,” he said. “[Ms Doyle] He knew exactly what she was obsessed with. She was a very brave and resilient woman. She knew what a terrible end if she hadn't had surgery. ”
One of the first lung transplant patients was Thomas McGrand. He worked as a bus driver at the age of 48 in 2006. His pulmonary fibrosis, progressive lung disease, had worsened.
“I didn't have much left. I couldn't walk. I couldn't raise my hands. I couldn't shave myself,” he said.
“I need to watch my kids grow up now and I can spend time with my grandchildren, something I don't think would have been possible without a port.”
Lyndsey Barrett underwent a lung transplant last August and was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in May 2022.
“My life is back. I used oxygen 24/7. When I was wearing oxygen, I couldn't go anywhere. Now I'm back to work,” she said.
Mohammad Abdullah, originally from Egypt, underwent a lung transplant in May 2023 when he was diagnosed with an all-talk of organic dust.
“Here I have a new life today,” he said.
Prior to 2005, Irish patients who needed a lung transplant had to travel to Newcastle, England for treatment. This kind of journey was too troublesome for some very sick patients awaiting transplants. This was one of the main drivers in creating Irish soil-based transplant teams.
As part of the program's anniversary, hospitals are encouraging the public to consider donating organs.
“Despairing shortness of breath affects thousands of people of all ages,” said Professor Karen Redmond, consultant for mothers' chest and lung transplant surgeons.
“It's scary to recognize that some people are actively dying. Organization donation is the only hope. To provide a lung transplant, it takes resources, skills, dedication and more than anything else. This operation is truly life-changing.”
Matter Hospital CEO Josephine Ryan Reesy said the anniversary was “a moment that reflects on the extraordinary impact of lung transplants in Ireland.”
“What began as a bold step 20 years ago has become a world-class national center made possible by clinical excellence, compassion and, above all, generosity of organ donors and their families,” she said. “We are deeply proud of the legacy built on our mothers here and are still committed to moving forward with the future of lung transplant care.”
