On May 12th, 2005, surgeons at the Mater hospital in Dublin carried out Ireland’s first lung transplant.
Veronica Doyle (then 56), from Limerick, had a three-hour operation to transplant a left lung.
Ms Doyle’s quality of life, and life expectancy, were transformed and she lived for further 15 years until 2020.
A total of 379 lung transplants have since been performed in the Mater’s National Lung Transport Centre, which celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday by gathering together many of the staff involved and their former patients.
The first lung transplant was performed by now-retired cardiothoracic surgeon Prof Freddie Wood. The stakes could not have been higher, he said, as he recalled that the odds were not good for transplant patients back then.
“With this level of complexity, there is always the possibility of failure,” he said. “[Ms Doyle] knew exactly what she was getting into. She was a very brave, resilient lady. She knew if she didn’t have surgery, what a dreadful end she would have.”
One of the first lung transplant patients was Thomas McGrane, who had his in 2006 when he was 48 and working as a bus driver. His pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung disease, was getting worse.
“I hadn’t much time left. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t lift my hands, I couldn’t shave myself,” he said.
“I have now got to see my children grow up and I can spend time with my grandkids, something that I don’t think would have been possible without the transplant.”
Lyndsey Barrett received her lung transplant last August having been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in May 2022.
“My life is back. I was on oxygen 24/7. When I was on oxygen, I couldn’t go anywhere. Now I’m going back to work,” she said.
Mohammad Abdullah, originally from Egypt, received his lung transplant in May 2023 having been diagnosed with an allegory to organic dust.
“Here I am today with a new life,” he said.
Before 2005, patients in Ireland who needed a lung transplant had to travel to Newcastle, England for treatment. Such a journey was too onerous for some of the very ill patients awaiting a transplant. This was one of the main drivers behind creating a transplant team based on Irish soil.
As part of the programme’s anniversary, the hospital is encouraging the public to consider organ donation.
“Debilitating breathlessness affects thousands of people of all ages,” said Prof Karen Redmond, consultant thoracic and lung transplant surgeon at the Mater.
“It is horrible to recognise that some are actively dying. Organ donation is their only hope. Delivering a lung transplant takes resources, skill, dedication and most of all, sacrifice. This operation is truly life-changing.”
Mater hospital chief executive Josephine Ryan Leacy said the anniversary is “a moment to reflect on the extraordinary impact of lung transplantation in Ireland”.
“What began as a bold step 20 years ago has become a world-class national centre, made possible by clinical excellence, compassion, and above all, the generosity of organ donors and their families,” she said. “We are deeply proud of the legacy built here at the Mater and remain committed to advancing lung transplant care into the future.”
