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As his chest X-ray appeared on the computer screen, Bensavio Guajardo was comforted by the nurse's words.
“Mira tas hermosos pulmones nuevos!“Look at your beautiful new lungs!” the nurse said in Spanish, which translates to “Look at your beautiful new lungs!”
Just a few weeks ago, Guajardo, 68, underwent a double lung transplant through the University of Chicago Medicine's Latino Transplant Program, one of only a few in the country that supports Latino and Hispanic transplant patients and their families.
Nearly everyone on your team at UChicago Medicine, including hepatologists, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and financial counselors, speaks fluent Spanish – no translator needed.
“There's a certain comfort to being able to communicate directly with the patient in their native language. It feels more personal, it makes them feel closer to home,” says Pablo G. Sánchez, MD, an Argentine native and surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at the University of Chicago Medicine.
“I'm always with the patient's family and I talk to them,” Sanchez said, “and summarize what's going on in Spanish and ask, 'Do you have any questions?' or 'Is there anything else you need?'”
A native of Mexico, Guajardo speaks English fluently but chose to speak to his transplant team in both languages. A bilingual staff was especially beneficial for his wife, Juanita, who oversees his care.
Juanita discussed medications with transplant pharmacist Lisa Potter, surgery with Sanchez, and post-op care with nurse Flor Cerda, all in Spanish.
“It allowed my wife to speak freely and understand everything that was going on,” Guajardo said.
Pulmonary fibrosis leads to lung transplants
After retiring from U.S. Steel after 34 years, Mr. Guajardo began feeling short of breath during his daily work, but he stubbornly maintained he was fine.
Eventually, Guajardo's breathing became labored and he agreed to see a doctor, and in 2017, he was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that gradually worsens his breathing.
Within a year, Guajardo had to use a portable oxygen tank with a mask to help her breathe. Her pulmonary fibrosis continued to worsen, and she needed more oxygen. Even walking from her bed to the couch left her exhausted.
“I tried to stay strong because I didn't want to admit that I was really sick,” Guajardo said, “but my health was getting worse and worse.”
After frustrating experiences at other hospitals, Ms. Guajardo, of Trail Creek, Indiana, found her way to the University of Chicago Medicine in Hyde Park, the same place where two of her four adult children underwent major surgery decades ago.
A pulmonology team, including Dr. Anila Khan and Dr. Kevin Tsai, studied Guajardo's case and determined that she would need a lung transplant. She was referred to the Latino Transplant Program and added to the waiting list for donor lungs in August 2023.
While she waited, Guajardo, who weighed 278 pounds at the time, worked with the University of Chicago Medicine's Center for Weight and Metabolic Health to lose weight to avoid complications from the surgery. By changing her diet and using the weight-loss drug semaglutide, she lost about 100 pounds over 10 months.
Still, Guajardo's lungs were deteriorating. He was rushed to the University of Chicago Medicine emergency department in April and spent several weeks in intensive care. Sanchez described his condition as “very, very bad.”
After transplant, he becomes a “completely new person”
Just in time to save Guajardo's life, a set of donor lungs became available in early May 2024. The “bloodless” transplant surgery – a specialized procedure that uses precise surgical techniques to minimize bleeding – took place soon after.
“Bloodless transplantation procedures were developed to treat patients with certain religious beliefs, but are now widely used. Because bloodless transplantation produces better outcomes and reduces the risk of graft dysfunction, infection, arrhythmia and stroke, the University of Chicago Medicine transplant team applied these techniques to lung transplants,” Sanchez said.
Guajardo's 10-hour surgery was a success.
“The next day he looked like a totally different person,” Sanchez said.
Two days later, Guajardo was able to walk the hospital corridors without needing oxygen. He hasn't needed it since. He was released from the hospital 19 days after the transplant, several weeks earlier than usual. Cerda, the nurse, attributes his recovery in part to strict adherence to post-operative care instructions.
“Ben and Juanita had such a positive attitude and did everything they needed to make my recovery quick and easy,” Cerda said. “They're just such wonderful people to look after me.”
Guajardo's prognosis is good, but he now has to take care of his lungs, Sanchez said, which means he needs to be careful about viruses and be aware of the side effects of his medications, including an increased risk of skin cancer.
Still, Guajardo can resume his favorite hobby: fishing, but he must wear a hat, long sleeves and sunscreen.
“We want patients to get back to their normal lives, but it's a new level of normality with more precautions,” Sanchez said.
Photo of the Guajardo family
Reducing the Latino Transplant Disparity
Latinos make up approximately 20% of the U.S. population. U.S. Census BureauHowever, many people who need organ transplants face socioeconomic inequalities that can impede the transplant process.
Latinos are also at higher risk for diseases that can lead to organ failure, including liver disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.
In 2020, only about one-third of Hispanics waiting for an organ transplant (a demographic measured by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) received one, compared with nearly half of white patients. Federal data isThis disparity includes lung transplants. According to a 2023 survey Published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
The Latino Transplant Program's goal is to help patients “navigate the clinical, surgical, emotional and financial complexities of transplant,” Sanchez says. “Additionally, we aim to educate and empower Latinos so they can advocate for their own equitable access to healthcare.”
Guajardo said he feels fortunate to have had the double lung transplant at the University of Chicago Medicine. Within a few weeks, he had gone from critically ill in the intensive care unit to a normal life.
In October, he will walk down the aisle at his son's wedding, but without an oxygen tank.
“My 7-year-old grandson said to me, 'Grandpa, when the doctor fixes me, can I go outside and play soccer with you?'” Guajardo said. “I told him the doctor hadn't given him the green light yet, but he said, 'We'll be there soon.'”
