Groundbreaking surgery for cystic fibrosis patients
Photo of Paul Minchin and his sister Sinead
An 18-year-old man has become the first cystic fibrosis patient to receive a double lung and heart transplant in Ireland.
Paul Minchin is recovering in a Dublin hospital after undergoing life-saving surgery and is keeping a medical record here. The young man, from Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, is said to be recovering well after a four-hour operation at the Mater Hospital this week.
surprise
Last week, Paul’s mother, Margaret, received a surprise call from the hospital saying that doctors could perform the transplant immediately. Paul was on his way to a routine check-up at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin at the time.
Paul’s fathers, Margaret and Peter, have been at their son’s bedside ever since the operation.
His mother said: “He’s doing very well. Everything is going very well and he’s doing well.”
It is now hoped that Paul’s double lung surgery will mean Irish people with cystic fibrosis will no longer have to travel to Newcastle, England, for a transplant.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common life-threatening genetic disease in Ireland. Ireland has the highest incidence of the disease in the world, with more than 1,100 people diagnosed in Ireland. This number is expected to increase to 1,335 by 2010.
Paul’s sister Sinead, 22, said the family was waiting to hear from the hospital when Paul could be discharged.
Paul recently won a makeover contest after Sinead came forward. In a letter to Farmer’s Journal, which sponsored her contest, she mentioned how she loved spending time outdoors on her home farm and meeting her friends in the evenings.
“Paul is currently in hospital undergoing tests for a lung transplant. If he is successful in his transformation, it will be a great reward when he comes home and I can’t think of anyone more deserving. is doing so,” she wrote. I’m really looking forward to him coming home. ”
