Parents donate one lung each to give their child a chance at life

October 2, 2012

12 year-old Marius Schneider of Germany is living with cystic fibrosis, which causes chronic lung and respiratory problems. His only hope at life is a brand new set of lungs.

Marius's parents were on the waiting list for the new organs, but time was running out. As days and weeks went by, Marius was only breathing with the use of a ventilator. It was time for a big decision.

There are two requirements for a successful lung transplant. The donors have to be the same blood type, and the lungs have to be larger than the person receiving them.

His parents qualified. Each of them were cleared to donate one lung each.

"It was immediately clear what we had to do in order to save our son," said, Anja, Marius's mother.

They set up the operation with Dr. Axel Haverich, Germany's most popular transplant surgeon.

The miracle triple operation took 6 hours and involved a team of 40 using 3 different operating rooms at one time. The lungs were successfully removed from each parent and impanted into their son.

The parents were released from the hospital after 10 short days. Marius's release took a little over 5 months. All three family members involved made a full recovery.

Now Marius can play sports again and ride his bike with his parents, a couple of his favorite activities. Due to his parent's love and faith, Marius is able to live a normal, hope-filled life again.