‘This wonderful gift has come right on time’: Young father opens up about the Christmas ‘miracle’ triple-organ transplant he received
- Joshua Leveridge was born with cystic fibrosis and needed new lungs and liver
- He also needed a new heart as the surgery requires all three to be removed
- He was on the donor list for 22 months before he got the organs he needed
A father who was on the donor list for 22 months has opened up about the miracle triple-organ transplant that gave him a new lease on life.
Joshua Leveridge, 37, was born with cystic fibrosis and recently got a new heart, liver and lungs at Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland.
He told the ABC during the wait for the surgery there were moments where he lost hope.
Joshua Leveridge, 37, was born with cystic fibrosis and recently got a new heart, liver and lungs at Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland
‘But this wonderful gift has come right on time. I couldn’t have waited too much longer… and the fact that it fell just before Christmas was a blessing,’ he said.
The triple-organ transplant takes ten hours and requires a medical team of 15 people.
Mr Leveridge was the eighth person in Australia to undergo the surgery.
The transplant was the first one of its kind in four years.
His wife Elizabeth said she experienced mixed emotions when she was told her husband had gotten the organs he needed.
She was she was excited but concerned about the potential risks.
‘It’s strange that someone has to die for my husband to live, but it’s such a good thing … giving someone else life,’ she said.
Now she is looking forward to their future together.
The couple’s ten-year-old son Reuben echoed his mother’s concerns and hopes.
‘Now we can do a lot together, play soccer, footy, all the things I like, he likes, Mum likes … it’s going to be real fun,’ he said.
Dr Peter Hopkins, the director of the Queensland Lung Transplant Service at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, said the biggest challenge was keeping Mr Leveridge well enough to survive the massive operation.
He said Mr Leveridge is responding well to the new organs.
The triple-organ transplant takes ten hours and requires a medical team of 15 people. Mr Leveridge was the eighth person in Australia to undergo the surgery (stock)