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Patients' Lives Made Better

Andy Dykstra – A second chance at life

More than 70 patients are waiting for either a lung or heart-lung transplant in Ontario. About 20% of those on the wait list will die before they receive a lung transplant. At 56 years old, Andy Dykstra was one of those patients waiting for a lung. Andy literally received a second chance at life thanks to the Toronto XVIVO Lung Perfusion System—a new technique pioneered at UHN, which expands the lung donor pool by repairing donor lungs which were previously unusable for transplant.

For over five years, Andy suffered from emphysema, making even simple tasks like answering his door impossible. "I could still breathe, but I wasn't living," he says.

On December 5, 2008, Dr. Shaf Keshavjee and the transplant team at Toronto General Hospital made history when Andy became the first patient to receive a pair of reconditioned lungs. Thanks to the surgery, Andy was able to breathe without any mechanical assistance just four days after the transplant.

“Life is sweet and I can breathe again. I am so grateful to Dr. Keshavjee and the lung transplant team. They changed my life.”

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