Melissa Benoit was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes a buildup of phlegm in the lungs. Her doctors wanted to save her life after her disease took a turn for the worst and they used a revolutionary and radical approach to saving her life.
Doctors kept her alive for six days with no lungs until she received a transplant.
In April 2016, the 32-year-old mother arrived at Toronto General Hospital with a severe lung infection. Before her arrival, she was suffering from regular lung infections since her early twenties
Doctors originally fought off reoccurring bacteria with drugs but her condition developed a resistance to antibiotics.
According to hospital officials, “Her inflamed lungs began to fill with blood, pus, and mucus, decreasing the amount of air entering her lungs, similar to a person drowning.”
She was in immediate need of a lung infection but no donors were immediately available.
The doctors decided that the only way to save the mother was to carry out a 9-hour operation that would require work from 13 experts.
Experts hooked her body up to two different external life support circuits which kept her alive for six days.
Thankfully a donor was matched to Melissa and she has been alive ever since.
Here’s a video about her amazing journey.
