Sarah Murnaghan Makes 'A Tiny Step In The Right Direction'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 10-year-old Delaware County girl who underwent a double lung transplant last week has made "a tiny step in the right direction" according to a message posted on Facebook by her mother.
Sarah Murnaghan, of Newtown Square, Pa., underwent successful double lung transplant last Wednesday at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. (See Related Story)
In a message posted on Facebook Monday morning, Janet Murnaghan provided an update on her daughter's recovery.
"I definitely have the best FB friends. All the prayers and love are so encouraging. Sarah made a tiny step in the right direction, being able to back off some of her vent settings in terms of her O2 requirements. Sarah's x-rays improved a little today too. She is still fully sedated and critical."
Following the surgery, Sarah's family said the six-hour surgery went smoothly and Sarah did extremely well.
"The surgery was very, very successful. It was flawless," Sarah's aunt, Sharon Ruddock, said following the surgery last Wednesday.
Sarah, who is suffering with end-stage cystic fibrosis, was placed into the adult donor line by order of a federal judge in Philadelphia after he heard a plea from the family. She had been on the pediatric organ donor list for a lung for 18 months, but none became available.
The search for a lung donor captured national attention.
"These are not pediatric lungs. I felt like, you know, I needed to fight and at the end of the day, like if I was going to lose her I wasn't going to lose her sitting down," Janet Murnaghan said after the surgery.
UPDATE: At 3 p.m., Sarah's mom, Janet, posted this message on her Facebook:
"Sarah is still sedated and critical but we are continuing to successfully ween vent settings, her pressures are coming down. It's still baby steps but all in the right direction. Looking forward to the blessed day when I hear her little voice again....although wondering if her first words will be stop kissing me, because I pretty much do it non-stop."
