February 14th isn't just Valentine's Day, it is also National Donor Day. Nebraska Medicine is spending this National Donor Day by recognizing their transplant team and one very special teen whose life they helped save.
In December 2017, fifteen year old Maria Wilmes became the first patient to receive a heart-lung transplant at Nebraska Medicine. Maria's transplant wasn't just a first Nebraska Med though, it was also the first time a heart-lung transplant had been performed in Nebraska.
Dr. Heather Strah, medical director of lung transplantation, says they are honored that Maria's family chose Nebraska Medicine and are pleased she's doing so well. “Maria’s attitude has been great and that’s playing a big role in her recovery.”
Maria grew up in Dakota City, Nebraska, the youngest of seven girls. Her parents, Mike and Gina, first noticed something was wrong with their youngest at the age of two. “She had a nose bleed one day,” said Mike Wilmes. “After taking her to the doctor in Sioux City, Iowa, they found a significant heart murmur.”
In October 2004, Maria was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs), caused by a congenital heart disease. Maria would eventually need a heart-lung transplant so she would have healthy lungs and a structurally normal heart.
Maria said she couldn’t participate in sports. or even walk down the school hallway without stopping to catch her breath. “I felt like I was missing out on a lot.”
Gina Wilmes says doctors told them it could take five to ten years to get a transplant for Maria. “She was busy living life and spending time with family and friends, but in September 2017, Maria’s health started declining. She couldn’t sleep at night – her heart would start racing and her breathing would hurt.”
Maria and her parents sought advice from Dr. Scott Fletcher, Maria’s longtime pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. He confirmed the progression of her pulmonary vascular disease was getting worse and she likely only had a few months to live. Because Maria and her family wanted the heart-lung transplant to happen close to home, Dr. Fletcher recommended Nebraska Medicine.
The week of Thanksgiving, Maria’s name was added to the transplant waiting list. On December 4th, Nebraska Medicine called to tell Maria's parents they had found a donor. “The night before we got the phone call, I found Maria sitting up in bed and it was the first time she said to me, ‘Mom, I can’t do this anymore.’ It was heartbreaking,” says Gina. “During the day, I kept thinking about the donor. Someone is going to have to die in order for Maria to receive this gift. That day, for whatever reason, it weighed heavily on my heart. I found myself praying for them. So that night when we got the call, it was all very surreal.”
The teen spent nearly two weeks at Nebraska Medicine – Nebraska Medical Center following her transplant. She’s now attending pulmonary rehabilitation sessions to regain her physical strength and her cardiology and pulmonary teams continue to work together to make sure her heart and lungs stay healthy. Her doctors are hopeful that Maria can return home within the next few months and start living a normal life.
Maria says she’s especially grateful for her organ donor and their family because without them, she isn’t sure where she’d be today. “You should become an organ donor because you can change someone’s life and just mean the world to them." Currently, 120,000 Americans are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. In Nebraska, there are nearly 500 people in need of a donor.