Richmond teen gets long-awaited lung transplant

Pam Tharp 4:11 p.m. EST February 27, 2015

(Photo: Joshua Smith/Palladium-Item file)

After almost two years on an organ transplant waiting list, Richmond teen Rebecca Stoermer is breathing easier with a new set of lungs.

At 1 a.m. Monday, Mike and Dena Stoermer got the call they’d been hoping for: A pair of lungs were available that appeared to be a match for Rebecca.

The family quickly left for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for the 10-hour transplant surgery. By early Tuesday morning, Rebecca’s old lungs had been removed, and by 9 a.m., she had two new lungs.

Diagnosed at age 2 with cystic fibrosis, Rebecca, now 17, is no stranger to hospitals. Until now, doctors could only try to keep her tired lungs functioning. Physicians in Missouri and Indianapolis also cared for Rebecca before the family was referred to the Columbus hospital.

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