UK Double Lung Transplant Patient Shares His Story

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 6, 2012) — In December 2010, 27-year-old Sid Vahal of Cumming, Ga. returned from his honeymoon with a sore throat. Over the next few months, the mysterious illness intensified, attacking his lungs and bringing him to the brink of death.

He was rejected by numerous other transplant centers, but in August 2011, Vahal underwent a double-lung transplant at the University of Kentucky — the only possible option to save his life — after spending 55 days on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. The ECMO machine provides cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs are so severely damaged that they can no longer function.

Vahal is now back home in Georgia, and his amazing story was featured in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Shortly after his transplant last year, Vahal sat down with UK Public Relations and shared his experience in a video interview.

For a transcript of this video, click here.