Double Lung Transplant Saves Young Man’s Life

Thanks to a selfless donor, a UAE government initiative, and the expertise of transplant surgeons, Alex receives the double lung transplant needed to save his life.

Alex, a 37-year-old Filipino expat, developed a severe lung infection in September 2023, which left him unconscious. His lungs were failing, and he was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) – a bypass machine that does the work of the lungs when they no longer function.

After two months on ECMO, Alex was told there was no chance his lungs would ever recover, and his only hope was a double lung transplant.

Alex’s family and church rallied round and contacted Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. The hospital worked with the National Programme for Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissue (‘Hayat’), an initiative which ensures life-saving transplant surgeries such as Alex’s can take place, and he was approved for a transplant.

After a two-month period of optimization, Alex underwent the extremely complex, eight-hour surgery where both of his lungs were removed and replaced with healthy donor lungs. The complexity of replacing vital organs such as the lungs presents unique challenges, requiring technical skill, multidisciplinary teamwork, and transplant expertise.

Alex’s recovery was remarkable. Within hours of the complicated surgery, the ECMO machine was removed and within two weeks, he was walking and breathing unaided. Following a period of intense physical therapy and rehabilitation, Alex was discharged and back home.

Alex and his family feel his ‘rebirth’ is nothing but a miracle. They are grateful to their church for their support, the life-saving medical teams at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and they are extremely thankful to the donor’s family. They also extend a ‘big Shukran’ to the UAE government for making sure that people of all backgrounds and nationalities get the gift of life through organ transplant.