Latest news with #lungtransplant
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ben Askren Says Prognosis Is Great After Lung Transplant Surgery
Even though he's got a new pair of lungs, Ben Askren says doctors have assured him he's fully capable of living a lengthy, healthy life. The former UFC star sat with TMZ Sports just days after he returned home from his weekslong battle with a horrific case of pneumonia ... and while he's down a ton of weight and fresh off major lung transplant surgery -- he told us his long-term prognosis is very good. "They say people run marathons and all this other stuff," he said of those who have been in similar situations to him. "So, hopefully, I'll be able to live a happy, healthy, full life like I want to." As far as the short term, Askren said he was pumped to be out of the hospital and back in his own bed ... telling us family time -- and home-cooked meals -- have made things far easier on him. Askren expressed huge gratitude to those who sent him well wishes over the past month -- and even noted some of his biggest rivals, like Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal, reached out with positive messages. He did say he's bummed he'll never be able to wrestle again -- and taking medication for the rest of his life is a drag ... but he told us he's thrilled to have more days left to live. "Getting a second chance on life," he said, "it's going to be interesting. I've always tried to make the most of life, and I'm going to continue to try to do that." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'A heavy burden:' On Ben Askren's new life and what to expect after a double lung transplant
Ben Askren headed home from the hospital this week with a new set of lungs and a second chance at life. Or, depending on how you think about it, maybe it's more like a fourth or fifth chance, since that's about how many times he estimated he'd already died while in the hospital battling severe pneumonia linked to a staph infection. 'Amy, how close was I to dying?' Askren asked his wife in the car ride home while posting an update for his social-media followers. 'Too close,' she told him. 'A few times.' As recently as early June, Amy Askren had told those same social-media followers she was 'praying for a miracle.' Her husband — a retired MMA fighter, two-time NCAA national champion wrestler and former Olympian — was unconscious and hooked up to machines, including a ventilator and an ECMO device (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation — essentially a form of life support). The prognosis was dire. Askren needed a double lung transplant. If he didn't get it, he'd die. All over those combat sports sections of the internet, the support came in the form of prayers and fundraisers. Former opponent Jake Paul and UFC CEO Dana White, among others, contributed financial support. And then in late June, the miracle came. Amy Askren announced June 30 her husband had received a double lung transplant. 'We are forever thankful to the donor and his family,' she wrote on Facebook. 'This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn't feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly.' But the challenges for Askren are still just beginning, according to Dr. Kirlos Haroun, a physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. As both a fight fan and a doctor, Haroun followed Askren's story closely. He's seen similar cases in his work as an emergency room physician and Johns Hopkins faculty member, he said, so he knows the risks lung transplant patients face. 'I've dealt with a lot of really acute lung injury, and I've dealt with transplant patients. The double lung transplant is this really complex last resort for very, very severe lung injuries,' Haroun told Uncrowned. "It's the only transplant that is exposed to the air with every breath, so it's exposed to the world at every moment. You combine that with pretty strong drugs, somebody who's immunocompromised, and your risk for infection every day is incredibly high.' There are two main threats for any lung transplant patient, according to Haroun. The first is that, as with any transplant, the body may reject the new organ. Medication can lower this risk — and transplant patients will need to remain on that medication for their entire lives — but it does so by suppressing the body's natural immune system. That leaves patients at higher risk of infection, but also vulnerable to diseases like cancer, Haroun said. 'Whenever I see a transplant patient in my ER, and they come in with a cough, the thought is always opportunistic infections. There are viruses, there are fungal infections, and then there's really bad drug-resistant bacteria,' Haroun said. 'Ben's going to be taking some very heavy immunosuppressive drugs just to let the transplant work. I mean, people with transplants, they live their lives, but there is always this concern. Anyone you're around can expose you to something. "I would be cautious about him even entering a gym, let alone rolling and wrestling just because of the infection risk. A skin abrasion can lead to a severe reinfection that can be life-threatening, and I think that's a really, really emotionally and mentally difficult thing beyond the physical risks he has.' One person who understands both the physical and emotional challenges is Jeffrey Pinard, who underwent a double lung transplant a little less than two years ago. Pinard was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a child, he said, so medical risks and challenges have essentially always been a part of his life. After dealing with multiple infections that affected his lungs, he was finally placed on the lung transplant list while in his early 50s. 'I was on the wait list about eight months,' Pinard said. 'I had to be taken off the wait list five different times because there was a question about going through with the transplant since I had such drug-resistant bugs in me. "No one told me this beforehand, thankfully, but I only had a few weeks to live when I finally got my lungs. When the surgeon cut into my lungs to start taking them out, they exploded. That was something they had never seen before. There was just so much infection packed in there.' Pinard knew more than most what to expect. As a college student, he'd studied genetics and microbiology at the University of Michigan. He was even an undergrad assistant on the research team led by geneticist Francis Collins who, in conjunction with Lap-Chee Tsui and his team at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, first isolated the gene for cystic fibrosis. Because of his experience with that disease, Pinard said, he was already well-accustomed to the sometimes drastic steps needed to avoid infection after the lung transplant. 'Everyone who has a cold is a threat to you,' Pinard said. 'Like, a mortal threat. Big crowds, things like that, you have to change your behavior so that you minimize your risk as much as possible. "The first year post-transplant is the hardest. That's when you're going to have the highest levels of steroids, prednisone and some of the other anti-rejection drugs. As you improve and your body gets used to the new lungs, then they can start tapering those off and then there will be a little bit less risk. But of course, that never goes away and you really have to balance the threat of infections with the threat of rejection.' But after reading about Askren, Pinard said, he does see reason for optimism. He was a relatively young man and healthy lifelong athlete with no major known comorbidities prior to the illness that necessitated the transplant. At the same time, there are more than just the physical adjustments to consider after such a dramatic life change. 'This transplant is so different for every single person,' Pinard said. 'I know people who've had it and were doing great within a month. I'm close to two years and I'm still struggling. But it's also about perspective. The year or so before my transplant, I was basically living on the couch, which isn't much of a life. Even getting up to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich felt like an enormous task that took so much effort. So now, when I can do something like empty the dishwasher and it doesn't take every ounce of effort I have? It feels phenomenal. It makes me feel like a million dollars. But I don't know how he'll feel about that, having been an MMA fighter and an athlete. Being so strong and then having the rug pulled out from under you, it can be a shock.' There's also the looming question of mortality. Survival rates for lung transplant patients have steadily improved over the years, but Pinard noted the five-year survival rate for this procedure is still just a little over 50%. Recent statistics suggest slightly more than one-third of double lung transplant recipients are now making it past the 10-year mark. Some have lived 20 years or more after the procedure, but they are the exceptions. 'Psychologically, it is kind of a heavy burden. If you look at the statistics, 10% of double lung transplant patients die every year,' Pinard said. 'You can't help but see that you've got an expiration date.' Still, Pinard said, he sees more reason for optimism than pessimism in Askren's situation. His support system, his experience pushing through physical and emotional challenges, all the same things that made him successful as an athlete, these should serve Askren well in his new life, Pinard said. But make no mistake, he added, it is a new and different life awaiting the former fighter as he recovers from the transplant surgery. 'It will get better. That's the thing I'd say to Ben right now, is it will get better,' Pinard said. 'I wish I'd known that more. At first, every day can be very difficult to get through. You're learning how to breathe again with new lungs. You're learning how to get up and walk again. Some people are in a lot more pain than others after the surgery. But it will get better, so don't set deadlines for yourself or get disappointed if it takes longer than you expect. If it takes a year to get back to a stable place, that's fine.' As Askren lay in the hospital awaiting his transplant, he noted in one social-media post it was difficult at times to ward off negative feelings. Here he was, a man who hadn't smoked, had always tried to take care of his health, and now he needed new lungs just to have a chance at survival. 'I will not feel bad for myself,' Askren said at one point. Earlier this week, as he headed home, his message was one of gratitude. 'I said this already in one of my videos, but the support you guys gave me, whether it was sending a GoFundMe, whether it was helping my kids and wife get through it — I had friends from all over the country come to visit and hang out for a couple of days — it meant so much,' Askren said in one video. 'It was so great to just have all this support and all the love, and hopefully I'm not in this situation again for a really, really, really long time. I plan on living a while.'
CBC
23-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Family caring for transplant recipient faces financial pressures
A young woman from Cole Harbour, N.S., is in intensive care in a Toronto hospital one month after having her second double lung transplant. Tahlia Ali's family is one of three who have spoken to CBC News about the financial strain of accessing the surgery, which is not offered in Nova Scotia. Carolyn Ray has the story.
CBC
23-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Bills mounting for family of young N.S. woman in ICU after second lung transplant
In the weeks leading up to her daughter's second double lung transplant, Lisa Ali of Cole Harbour, N.S., said she was scared to answer the phone, unsure of who would be on the other end. For more than a year, she and her 20-year-old daughter, Tahlia Ali, had been living in Toronto waiting for the life-saving surgery that is not available in Nova Scotia. That wait comes at an out-of-pocket cost for Nova Scotians — once a patient is put on the transplant list, they must move to Toronto, wait for their match, and stay for months post-surgery to recover. "I was living off my credit card and I had no way to pay it," said Lisa Ali in an interview. "I'm waiting for phone calls for lungs, but the only people that are calling me is creditors." The Alis are one of three Nova Scotia families who have spoken to CBC News in recent months about the financial devastation they have faced while waiting for their loved one to access lung transplant surgery in a different province. The Ali family said a lack of financial support from federal and provincial governments has created an immense strain during an already fraught time. One month after her most recent transplant, Tahlia Ali remains in intensive care. One of the lungs didn't take and had to be removed. "She has a lot of complications from this surgery this time around that we were not expecting," said her grandmother, Judy Robichaud. "We were expecting by this time she'd be out of ICU ... But even the doctors don't know what to expect. They're taking it one day at a time." 1st transplant in 2020 Tahlia Ali was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension when she was seven. At the time, the family was told the condition was fatal and the only treatment was a lung transplant. She had her first transplant in 2020, when she was 16. Her family was just getting back on their feet in Nova Scotia when she developed new issues, and learned she needed another transplant. "Tahlia, right now, she's fighting," said Robichaud. "We have to go the distance because she is." Adding to the strain is the issue of money. Lisa Ali said most people don't realize that a condition of being on the lung transplant list is to have a full-time caregiver. That person cannot work, as it's their job to get the patient to the hospital for multiple appointments a week, and make sure the patient gets all of their medications. Ali thought she would qualify for employment insurance caregiving benefits when she left her job to go to Toronto, but she was shocked to learn she was less than 10 hours short of qualifying. A statement from Employment and Social Development Canada said she could have appealed that decision, but needed to do so within a 30-day window. Ali said she was overwhelmed, as she had just days to move out of her rental home, find a place to live in Toronto and get to her daughter's first appointment. "I was like, 'I don't have the energy to appeal that,'" she told CBC News. While Nova Scotia offers an allowance of $3,000 a month to families who have to live out of province long term for medical treatment, that only covers the family's rent in Toronto. Ali estimates she's racked up $20,000 in debt covering additional expenses. Now that her granddaughter is facing serious complications, Robichaud expects it will be another year before they get home. She said people have been rallying behind them, offering what they can to help make ends meet. On Saturday, Colleen's Pub in Dartmouth held an event for the family, bringing in more than $5,000. "I don't know how they would be able to manage up there if it wasn't for our family and our friends hanging in there with us and helping to support what's happening right now. I'm just unbelievably grateful for them," Robichaud said. Robichaud and Lisa Ali said both the provincial and federal governments need to do more to help families like theirs, and they plan to work with other Nova Scotia families who are advocating for change. Health Minister Michelle Thompson told CBC News last month that she sympathizes with families who are in similar situations, but said the health-care system is stretched in many directions and the department has to make tough choices. She said Nova Scotia is unique compared to other provinces because it covers some of the travel expenses of the support person who must go with the patient. "We'll continue to review that program, to hear from people. We want to be responsive," Thompson said at the time. "But it isn't a cost-recovery program and we also want to maintain the integrity of the entire system, and I know that's difficult."
The Sun
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Ben Askren's wife admits he was ‘too close' to dying ‘a few times' as ex-UFC star leaves hospital after eight weeks
BEN ASKREN'S wife admits he was 'too close' to dying after the former UFC star left hospital. Askren, 41, was rushed to the ER last month with a severe case of pneumonia. 3 3 3 The UFC legend was forced to undergo a double lung transplant. And Askren revealed 12 days ago that he 'died four times' on the operating table. The former welterweight star had been in hospital for eight whole weeks as he recovered from surgery. But Askren has now been released back home after a gruelling time away. He appeared with wife Amy to give fans an update on his condition. And Askren's other half revealed that he had been 'too close' to passing away throughout his ordeal. Askren first said: 'What's up guys? Day 59, I'm out. 'That was a long journey and it's not over because I still can't really walk, gotta re-teach myself to do that among many other things. 'I guess I can make light of it because it was me… and I don't really remember it, but Amy, how close was I to dying?' Wife Amy replied: 'Too close, a few times.' Askren added: 'Hopefully I'm not in this situation again for a really, really long time. I plan on living a while.' Askren's emotional message came a week after he opened up on his lungs getting 'stolen.' He said: 'I'm gonna plead guilty, I felt bad for myself one time. 'And that doesn't do anyone any good. 'Man, I never smoked one cigarette.' Never smoked any weed, why did my lungs get stolen from me? 'Why isn't this happening to someone who smokes? Then I realised, it happened. I can be bitter and angry, I could whine and cry, but that's not going to help anybody. 'I am where I am now and I'm going to move forward the best that I can.'
