Lurie Children's Hospital performs record-breaking 140 transplants in last year

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's no secret Lurie Children's Hospital is one of the best places to go for difficult pediatric cases. Now it's celebrating a record year of organ and stem cell transplants.

Lurie performed a hospital-record 140 transplants from in its last fiscal year, from September 2023 to August 2024 – including heart, kidney, liver, and stem cell transplants.

That number includes 40 kidney transplants, 30 heart transplants, 15 liver transplants, and 55 stem cell transplants.

"I was lost for words, because I knew that someone would have to lose their child's life in order to save mine," said Ashley, whose son, Carter, received a heart transplant at Lurie. "This journey was hard."

This year alone, Lurie has performed 24 heart transplants. That's the most for pediatric patients anywhere in the country.