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14-year-old D’Zhana Simmons from the United States lived heartlessly for four. South Carolina woman became a phenomenon in the medical world. What made the teenager survive without a sustaining organ for over 100 days? Learn the story of the youngest child in the world who survived such a hard test and got a chance for a second life.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease that leads to abnormal heart function. In its course, the muscle fibers are stretched, which results in the thinning of the heart muscle. The situation becomes even more serious when it comes to heart failure and ventricular dysfunction. The final consequence of the disease may be the death of the patient. Fourteen-year-old D’Zhana Simmons faced such a disease. The teenager underwent an unusual therapy that allowed her to survive without a heart for four months.
- A tragic story. The boy spent his life in a plastic bubble
The story of D’Zhana Simmons – a girl who lived without a heart
The significant weakening and enlargement of the heart of a 14-year-old American woman required an urgent decision to transplant. Unfortunately, the first transplant attempt at the Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami was unsuccessful. The heart from the first donor did not accept and had to be removed immediately. To fight for her life, D’Zhana Simmons had to make another attempt. However, it was not possible immediately – the girl needed a functioning organ, which was replaced with the work of two special devices. So she had to wait for an undefined organ that could replace her proper heart.
- The most famous patient, prof. Religi. He lived with a transplanted heart for 30 years
The teenager lived without a heart for four months. The vital functions were supported by the heart pumps, which acted as a substitute for the organ. The device was the size of a photocopier, so when the patient wanted to go out into the fresh air, the walk was accompanied by as many as five assisting people who helped the girl move around and carried the pumps.
The case of D’Zhana Simmons became a medical breakthrough
In addition to dilated cardiomyopathy, the fourteen-year-old also suffered from other conditions. She struggled with liver and kidney failure and gastrointestinal bleeding. Despite her young age, life was not kind to her. Fortunately, thanks to the willingness to fight the decision to implement specialized pumps, the girl had a chance to survive. Ultimately, the second heart transplant operation was successful. The specialists were happy to announce that the new organ has taken root and is starting to work properly with the entire body, and the prognosis is really good. However, there are 50 percent. chances, which indicate that about 13 years after the transplant (at the age of 30), the girl will have to undergo another one.
- She died for 45 minutes. It is a medical miracle. What did she see?
The day after the heart transplant, D’Zhana Simmons also underwent a kidney transplant. The will to live turned out to be stronger than the debilitating diseases and the difficult struggle for a better tomorrow. Cardiologists and surgeons were amazed that the pediatric patient had endured so long without a heart, connected only to a device that kept the blood circulating constantly. Usually, patients kept alive by this method have this organ in the body, so her case has become even more fascinating for medics. The teenager became a phenomenon and the first child to perform this miracle. Another equally shocking case is the story of an adult patient from Germany who lived without a heart for 9 months.
- He left the hospital in a “space suit”. He lived like this for eight years
After 4 months without a heart and a successful transplant, the girl returned home
After a successful transplant, the teenager was able to return to her home and the eagerly awaiting family. D’Zhana Simmons repeatedly revisited her experience in the hospital, when she had lived without a heart for four months and was supported by a special device. As she reports herself, she was always concerned about the failure of the pumps at some point. Because she had no heart in her for 118 days, she called herself a “false person.”
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