[Mb-civic] CBC News - SONS DONATE HALF LUNG EACH TO THEIR MOTHER

Sun Nov 27 07:54:25 PST 2005

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The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE
at http://www.cbc.ca/news
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SONS DONATE HALF LUNG EACH TO THEIR MOTHER
WebPosted Fri Nov 25 14:20:49 2005

---A woman in Edmonton has received a rare gift from her two sons:
a new lung.

Brenda Kinnear, 51, has pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that destroys the
lung's ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. Before the
transplant, Kinnear said she often breathed normally but her limbs gave
out from lack of oxygen. Doctors told her she had less than one year to
live, but the wait time for lung transplants is often double that.

"They can just suddenly have a cold or whatever, and the next day, they
pass away," said Dr. John Mullen, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the
University of Alberta Hospital. "They're on a very fine line between life
and death."

Kinnear's two sons decided to each donate half of one lung to her. Her
surgery took place on April 26.

"She brought me into this world," said Shannon Kinnear. "She is my life.
She gave me life, and in turn this is my chance to give back to her."

Living-donor lung transplants are extremely complex and rare. They're
risky for patients who may reject the transplant, and for donors who risk
infections and possibly death.

Edmonton is the only place in Canada that offers the surgery. It has been
successfully performed four times in the Alberta capital.

Kinnear said she is happy her sons took a chance on her. "Even if it only
gives me five years, it's five years more than I had before."

She is looking forward to travelling and spending a more active Christmas
with her family.