Helping people with a rare condition called mirror lung

CHICAGO, Ill. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – More than 40,000 people will receive organ transplants this year.

Almost 3,000 people will get a second chance at life by receiving donor lungs.

COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis are just some of the reasons people may need a lung transplant or two. And now doctors can help people born with a rare disease called mirror lung.

Yahaira Vega was born with a rare disease that prevents the tiny hair-like structures in her airways from removing bacteria and pollutants.

“You know those big McDonald’s drinks, $1 colas? You could fill one of those up with phlegm in a day,” Vega said.

What’s more, Yahaira’s chest and abdominal organs were reversed.

“So the heart is normally on the left side, but now it’s on the right side. The right lung is on the left side, but the left lung is on the right side,” said Dr. Ankit Bharat, a thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine.

Dennis Dear was also born with this rare genetic disorder called inverse sitting.

“My symptoms got worse and worse to the point where I couldn’t even walk 10 steps without gasping for breath,” Deer said.

Both Dennis and Yahaira were the first two patients at Northwestern Medicine to receive double lung transplants in the reverse position.

“Once the old lung is removed, a normal lung from a normal donor needs to be placed in the cavity, which is its mirror image,” Dr. Bharat said.

When Dennis woke up from the surgery, he knew it had worked.

“It’s unbelievable. I’m still fascinated by it,” Deer said.

And now, both Dennis and Yahaira are back to normal life.

Reverse sitting position affects almost 1 in 10,000 people.

In many cases, patients may not even know they have the disease until they seek medical care for an unrelated disease.

Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, producer. Kirk Manson, videographer. Matt Goldschmidt, editor.

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