Anyone remember the young man pictured here with Princess Di? On Aug 13, 1985, at 3 years old, Jamie Gavin of Dublin made headlines internationally as the youngest person at the time to undergo heart-lung transplant. The surgery was performed by Sir Magdi Yacoub. #CHD #DonateLife
Jamie was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (#HLHS). Surgical options then were few. Bill Norwood had only just published his initial series on HLHS palliation; most centers remained wary. In 1984, another baby with HLHS, Baby Fae, received a baboon heart transplant.
Just 5 months before Jamie's operation, Yacoub's team had performed a heart-lung transplant on 5yo Brooke Matthews of Australia, who was at the time the youngest heart-lung recipient. Her story generated drama when her father held up a hamburger stand to help pay for her surgery!
On August 9, 3-year-old Tina Bran of Southampton fell 50 feet from her apartment window. After she died on August 12, her heart and lungs were retrieved by Yacoub's team and transported to London for the surgery. Jamie did well and was extubated just a day later.
Jamie returned to a normal life in Dublin. On Dec. 18, 1985, he was presented a Children of Courage Award by Princess Diana. Sadly, in 1992, at the age of 11, he died of lymphoma. He was believed to be the world's longest-surviving heart-lung transplant recipient at the time.
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