Viktar Vysotski - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
Being an organ donor is such a selfless, beautiful act. For one woman in Virginia, her late organ donor didn’t just give her one gift; they gave her two: a lung transplant and a husband!
After Jennifer Ellis was born, she was diagnosed with a condition called Situs Inversus. This is a congenital disorder that’s pretty rare, and it causes a reversal of normal organ placement in your abdomen and chest.
As Jennifer grew older, she then developed primary ciliary dyskinesia because of her Situs Inversus, which meant she was in need of new lungs, as it resulted in lung damage.
It was in 2015 that Jennifer realized her health was going downhill. She was getting ready to participate in the Ms. America Pageant, and as she was exercising, she noticed she had a hard time breathing.
Several years later, Jennifer’s health worsened, leaving her in need of oxygen 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
When 2018 arrived, Jennifer spent every single month in the hospital that year except for two. There was no other option but for her to undergo a double-lung transplant.
Jennifer’s doctor gave her a referral to the Cleveland Clinic, and she was put on a waiting list. She continued to combat infections in her lungs as she patiently awaited a donor match.
Sometimes, Jennifer was so ill it was doubtful she would be a good candidate for a double-lung transplant, but a couple of months after being placed on the list, she received word that she was receiving a new pair of lungs. When Jennifer found out, she literally fell to the floor in tears.
Jennifer’s surgery was a success, but she faced many hurdles in her journey to recovery, including her body rejecting her new lungs.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
1 of 2 Next
