Stanford Children's Medical Center celebrates two milestones in thoracic organ transplantation: 35 years of pediatric lung transplants and 50 years of heart transplants
Despite needing a heart-lung transplant, Tonirose Legaspi is living a fulfilling life and recently completed the final steps in her preparation to pursue her dream career as a librarian.
“I love reading and it's been my lifelong dream to become a librarian,” says Toni Rose.
The 33-year-old earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and worked in property management before earning a master's in library and information studies. She hopes to work at a library near her home in San Ramon, California.
ToneeRose also loves to travel. She has recently been to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Next year, she plans to go to Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. She is looking forward to visiting Kyoto and Taipei, two places she has never been to before.
“My goal is to go somewhere new every year, whether it's in my state, the U.S. or anywhere in the world. So far, it's been going well,” she says.
When Toni Rose was 3 years old, doctors discovered that she Septal defect (There's a hole in my heart) Pulmonary hypertension (Pulmonary Hypertension) She remembers being a sick child who always had to undergo treatment for her heart and lungs, receiving medicines through a continuous pump. Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics About 8 years old.
“Doctors had always told me that I would eventually need a heart-lung transplant, so it was always in my mind,” Tony Rose said.
She was 17 and a senior in high school in 2008. She remembers the day she found out her transplant was imminent: After a test at Stanford Children's Hospital, she fell asleep while sitting in her hospital room doing homework, only to be woken by a doctor looking at her with concerned eyes. heart failureShe had to stay at Stanford Children's Hospital until she could have her transplant.
Six weeks later, a donor heart and lungs were found and the transplant took place. Tony Rose recalls that the doctors Jeffrey Feinstein, MD,director Pulmonary vascular disease in Betty Eileen Moore Pediatric Heart CenterOn the day of the transplant, I came into the operating room to hold her hand.
She is grateful for the support she received from her family before, during and after her transplant. “My older sister Frida attended college nearby and would often come over to visit, and my mom and dad also brought my younger sister Nina over and they took turns sleeping with me,” she says.
Tony Rose made friends with the nurses at 3-West, especially one who would join her for coffee, and met many friends who had undergone transplant surgery at Stanford Children's Hospital, some of whom have become lifelong friends.
She spent her first summer after her transplant doing the things she loved that her medications prevented her from doing as a child: swimming in the pool and the ocean. “After my transplant, I was able to walk longer distances and I didn't get tired as easily. I felt so free because I didn't have to carry my pump medication around with me,” Toni-Rose says.
She is currently receiving adult pulmonary care. Stanford Health CareShe has quarterly checkups. Her lung function has stabilized but is slowly declining. She knows she will need another transplant someday, but not anytime soon.
“In October it will be 16 years since my transplant and 16 years since I received my heart and lungs from the original donor,” she said.
“This is a remarkable milestone for Mr. Legaspi and speaks to the incredible progress we have made in lung and heart-lung transplantation.” Nicholas Avdimirets, MD“Hearing these success stories after patients transition to adult care motivates our team and motivates us to continue innovating to continually improve both survival and quality of life after transplant,” said John F. Kennedy, MD, medical director of the Pediatric Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program at Stanford Children's Hospital.
Stanford's first pediatric heart-lung transplant was performed in 1988. Tony Rhodes, who underwent the transplant 16 years ago, is the second-longest-lived heart-lung transplant patient at Stanford Children's Hospital, at 24 years old.
ToneeRose shares her experience living with a heart-lung transplant at local hospitals and in international group chats.
of Pediatric Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program Stanford Children's Hospital has performed 98 pediatric lung and heart-lung transplants to date, providing more lung transplants than any other pediatric center on the West Coast and more heart transplants than any other pediatric center in California. “Our program has a long-standing track record of excellent patient outcomes. Our innovation lies in studying pediatric lung and heart-lung transplant patient populations internationally and using cutting-edge technology to optimize pre- and post-transplant health, for example, to detect early signs of rejection,” said Dr. Avdimirets. “Ultimately, our program is successful because of our strong multidisciplinary team and the lasting connections we make with our patients and their families.”
Learn more about the Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program >
