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Ailing Girl Gets Lung Transplant After Court Intervention


Sarah Murnaghan, left, lies in her hospital bed next to adopted sister Ella on the 100th day of her stay in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, (File photo).
Sarah Murnaghan, left, lies in her hospital bed next to adopted sister Ella on the 100th day of her stay in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, (File photo).
A 10-year-girl is recovering from a organ transplant operation made possible after a U.S. federal judge intervened on her behalf.

Sarah Murnaghan underwent a six-hour double-lung transplant from an adult donor at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday.

Sarah suffers from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that mainly attacks a person's lungs and digestive system. She had been on the nationwide transplant list for a pair of pediatric lungs, but such donations are rare, and her health recently began to fail.

However, she was ineligible to receive adult lungs under government rules because she was under 12 years old. Her family filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, prompting the judge issue an order last week placing Sarah on the list.
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