Streatham man receives UK’s first successful double lung transplant

By Claudia Lee

The first patient in the UK to receive a double lung transplant due to complications from Covid- 19 has been successfully discharged from a specialist hospital after his transplant in June.

Cesar Franco, 50, from Woodmansterne Road, Streatham, caught Covid just before Christmas last year.

Within a few days Mr Franco was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital after his condition deteriorated.

He required a ventilator and life support machine despite his previous fitness and healthy lifestyle.

Mr Franco’s condition continued to deteriorate and he developed Covid pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs, which led to lung fibrosis.

Fibrosis is a scarring of the lung tissue, this meant that Mr Franco could no longer breath independently.

He remained in the intensive care unit for five months until he was transferred to Harefield Hospital in Uxbridge, where he received the first double lung transplant in the UK.

Mr Franco had not been vaccinated against Covid when he caught the illness, but since recovering from his illness he has been vaccinated.

He said: “It was a very frightening experience and I didn’t know if I would ever leave the hospital.

“I initially was hesitant when the doctors spoke to me about transplantation, I wanted my body to heal on its own, but it quickly became clear that this wasn’t an option for me, I was just so unwell.

“The doctors, nurses and physiotherapists that were by my side during my time in the hospital became my rock.

“They made sure to support me physically and emotionally during my lowest and most vulnerable times.

“My donor gave me the gift of life with their selfless decision to be an organ donor.”

Professor John Dunning, director of heart and lung transplantation at Harefield Hospital and Cesar’s surgeon, explained Mr Franco’s fortune in finding a suitable donor.

Since the beginning of the pandemic the number of organ donors have decreased and as a result many patients have lost their lives before they could receive a transplant.

Professor Dunning said: “Cesar’s story exemplifies everything that is great about the NHS, receiving excellent care throughout his journey.

“At this point it was almost like he was a prisoner in ICU, shackled to life support machines which were the difference between life and death.

“Freedom from this prison happened when he was referred to the lung transplant service at Harefield and was given a second chance at life.”

Following the 11-hour operation Mr Franco was discharged from care in August and was rehabilitated to return home a couple of months after his operation to recuperate with friends and family.

Pictured top: Cesar Franco after his operation and with his son Gabriel (Picture: Cesar Franco)