Prayers For Jesica

Even as Jesica Santillan's family celebrates her remarkable second chance at life, friends and family are painfully aware that the 17-year-old remains in danger from the strain of two heart-lung transplants within two weeks.

Jesica was near death after a Feb. 7 transplant operation in which she erroneously received organs with the wrong blood type. She received a second transplant early Thursday at Duke University Hospital.

Jesica is in critical condition, breathing with the help of a ventilator, but doctors say her new heart and lungs are performing as expected.

Her mother, Magdalena Santillan, says she has been speaking to her unconscious daughter, praising her courage and letting her know she has supporters around the world.

"She asks everybody out there to pray for her daughter," says America Santillan, a cousin who is acting as an interpreter for the girl's parents.

Jesica's mother also said that she is no longer angry with the doctors since they have corrected their mistake.

"Everything is going to come out OK," said Santillan. "I'm really blessed."

The Santillan family moved to North Carolina from Mexico several years ago because they felt they'd have a better chance at a transplant for Jesica if they lived in the U.S.

Jesica had a heart deformity that kept her lungs from getting oxygen into her blood and was on the transplant list for three years before receiving donor organs.

In Guadalajara and in the Santillans' hometown of Tamazula, friends and relatives are praying for Jesica's recovery and safe return to Mexico. Ramona Santillan, Jesica's aunt, says she hopes to bring Jesica to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where a cloak with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is displayed.

"I promised the Virgin that if she saves her, I would bring her (to Mexico City) as a thank you," she said.

Doctors at Duke University warn that it is too early to say whether Jesica can pull through with the help of her new heart and lung.

"She's as critical as a person could be," Dr. Duane Davis said at Duke University Hospital, noting that Jesica's body suffered damage while on she was on life support. The organs removed Thursday could not be salvaged.

New organs for Jesica were found late Wednesday. As CBS News Correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin reports, the first 48 hours following the surgery is critical, but Jesica's youth is on her side.

Lloyd Jordan of Carolina Donor Services says the donor family has requested anonymity. And, contrary to early reports about the organs, Jordan says their donation was not "directed" - that is, the family did not specifically request that the organs be given to Jesica.

According to Kaledin, it is so rare that a second set of suitable organs became available that many questions are being raised about whether Jessica got special treatment at the expense of others. The hospital denies such claims. The organs were not targeted for Jesica and they came through the routine organ donation process.

The organs were donated through the United Network for Organ Sharing, a national group that helps connect donors and potential patients.

Jesica's place on the list was determined in part by her poor condition and her age. Network spokeswoman Anne Paschke said the girl's immigration status played no role because hospitals are allowed to place non-citizens on their organ waiting lists and must give them the same priority level as citizens.

U.S. hospitals cannot perform more than 5 percent of their transplants on people who aren't residents of this country.

"We want to make sure that with such a scarcity of organs that we take care of people in the U.S.," Paschke said.

Relatives have said Jesica's family paid a smuggler to bring them from their small town near Guadalajara, Mexico, to the United States to get a transplant because a heart deformity kept her lungs from getting oxygen into her blood. Doctors said she would have died within six months without the transplant.

Sixth-grader Heather Adams said she hoped her best friend would recover so they could return to having sleepovers, shopping and spending time together.

"I'm very happy for her," the 12-year-old said through tears. "It was terrible when I found out she was unconscious."

Duke officials are still investigating what led to the Feb. 7 error, but have already identified a couple of mistakes.

Dr. James Jaggers, the surgeon in the case, wrongly assumed compatibility between the organs and patient had been confirmed, said Dr. William Fulkerson, the hospital's chief operating officer.

The hospital has added levels of verification for organ compatibility, and Fulkerson said those procedures were followed Thursday.

Jaggers also performed the second transplant, though the hospital said other surgeons were involved because of Jesica's complicated condition.

"We have faith in the surgeon," said Mack Mahoney, a leader of the fundraising efforts to pay for Jesica's care. "We feel there was a grave mistake made. We do not question his skill as a surgeon."

The organ network is reviewing what led to the flawed transplant. But the New England organ bank that sent the first heart and lungs said the organs were delivered with paperwork correctly listing the donor's blood type.