Organ transplants on the rise at Cleveland Clinic; meet a man whose life was saved
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Organ transplants are on the rise at the Cleveland Clinic for a grand total of 1,039 in 2021.
That’s up 18% from 2020, the Cleveland Clinic said, making last year a record breaker.
In honor of National Donor Day, 19 News is talking to a New York man whose life was by transplant performed at the clinic.
The Cleveland Clinic said a transplant was the only option for Phillip, who traveled more than five hours from Binghamton, NY to receive care there.
Phillip was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an illness that causes scaring in the lungs, according to the clinic.
“To best describe it, the disease was literally suffocating him and he needed several liters of oxygen a day. Even walking up the stairs was a difficult task.” — Cleveland Clinic
The transplant was first put on pause so Phillip could get a heart aneurysm fixed.
Soon after Phillip’s successful aneurysm procedure, “he got the call that his new lungs were waiting for him,” the Cleveland Clinic said.
“In less than 60 days, he went from near death to thriving! Best of all, he is no longer tethered to an oxygen tank.” — Cleveland Clinic
Phillip was served by doctors Shruti Gadre and Francis Caputo of the Cleveland Clinic.
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