Claire Wineland died in 2018 from complications following a double-lung transplant to treat her cystic fibrosis affected lungs. She suffered a major stroke from a blood clot during recovery, which happens only in a small percentage of patients. Claire was a CF advocate and a keynote speaker at the AARC Congress. She died at 21 years of age.
Lung transplants are becoming more frequent as a treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) of the lungs. Many people forget that CF affects other parts of the body as well. Even with a successful lung transplant, patients still need to properly manage CF that affects other parts of the body to improve quality of life and survival following transplant. There are a lot of factors to consider when determining if a lung transplant is appropriate.
1. Do some research on Claire’s story. What factors do you think led her to decide on a lung transplant? Do the benefits really outweigh the risks? Why?
2. What advances in technology and medications have been made in the past several years for the treatment of CF that has improved quality of life and survival for CF patients?
3. Claire spoke of her poor prognosis and how new technology, medications, and therapies came along that helped to extend her life beyond what was expected. What new advances are in development, if any?