It was a day that the family and friends of Sarah Murnaghan feared would never come. On Wednesday, the young girl celebrated her 11th birthday.
Murnaghan is recovering from two double lung transplants. The Newtown Square girl, who has end-stage cystic fibrosis, received a pair of adult-lung transplant after a federal judge ruled in favor of her parents' lawsuit challenging national rules regarding organ donations.
Sarah's first set of adult lungs, transplanted June 12, failed. A second set was transplanted three days later.
On July 12, Sarah underwent surgery for a tracheostomy. A week later, she underwent her first Trach change, had her last chest tube removed and was moved back to a traditional ventilator. On July 22, she stood up for the first time in months during physical therapy. Last Wednesday, she was moved to another unit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she has received her treatment.
On Wednesday, Sarah had her 11th birthday party in the PCU playroom with her siblings, cousins, aunts, uncle and grandparents. According to her mother Janet, the party was the first time since her transplant that Sarah has seen her siblings. Janet also says the day marked another important milestone for the young girl.
“Sarah walked 10 feet with her walker for the first time,” her mother wrote on her Facebook page. “She actually made it out the room!”
Officials at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where Sarah is being treated, have declined to comment on her case.
