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Carmen Lerma was not the first person to receive COVID in Wisconsin; far from there. She has joined nearly 300,000 others diagnosed with the virus, but Carmen is the only one on her recovery.
For the first time in over four months, Carmen can take a deep breath.
“You are all like the best. Thank you very much, ”Carmen told the doctors and nurses at UW Health.
A breath that allowed him to say goodbye to certain irreplaceable men and women
“Each of you here has really made a difference. I wouldn’t be here today, so thank you, ”said Carmen.
Everyone in the hallway applauded Carmen as a nurse led her out. It was a good day. Carmen’s mask can hide her smile, but can see the tears springing from gratitude in her eyes are just too heavy to stay.
It’s been a long journey already, so a few more steps down the hall are worth it to take an important step on his road to recovery.
“Here is the door! Here is the door!” Carmen said pointing to her family outside the hospital doors.
“It’s been a while,” she said, kissing her husband.
Thursday was the first time Carmen had seen her husband and family since being hospitalized. She had COVID-19 in July and it destroyed her lungs. She was eventually put on oxygen and then on a donor list.
“It’s unclear how long Carmen would have had,” said Dr. Dan McCarthy, cardiothoracic surgeon at UW.
Thanks to the sacrifice of a donor family, Carmen only waited a few days for new lungs. This is the first COVID-linked double lung transplant in Wisconsin. Dr McCarthy says the procedure is more complicated than regular transplants.
“Because COVID is so new, there really isn’t a lot of evidence we can draw to determine when is the right time to transplant these patients,” McCarthy said.
Carmen feels good again and has no oxygen.
“Oh my God. It’s amazing. I never thought I could do it again,” Carmen said.
Carmen’s reunion with her family proves that her life was not the only one at stake.
“I just want to hold her in his arms. It’s been a long time, ”said Hector Lerma, Carmen’s husband, as his voice trembled slightly. “To be without her. I mean, we did everything together. She missed me.
Thanks to the doctors and nurses at UW Health, Carmen Lerma has a new set of lungs. However, it is his family who can finally breathe again.
“It was priceless. It was just amazing to see her for the first time, ”said Mario Ortiz, brother.
“Joy. Happiness. I missed her so much,” Hector said.
“A tough trip, but a great ending,” said Carmen.
Carmen wrote a letter to the family of the person whose lungs she now has and expressed her gratitude for the gift of life they gave her. Dr. McCarthy says Carmen’s recovery will take a long time. Doctors at UW will of course have to monitor her and make sure her body does not reject her new lungs.
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