Sligo woman Vera Dwyer in lung transplant record
- Published
Ms Dwyer was awarded a gold medallion from the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association at the Mater Hospital in Dublin
A Sligo woman has been recognised as the world's longest surviving single lung transplant recipient at an event in Dublin.
Vera Dwyer, 77, was diagnosed with an irreversible, chronic and ultimately fatal fibrotic lung disease 30 years ago.
Her condition was deteriorating rapidly, leaving her bed-bound.
She received a single lung transplant in a life-saving operation in the UK in 1988.
At the time, such procedures were not available in Ireland.
Ms Dwyer was awarded a gold medallion from the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.
The mother of four, who has seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, also received a kidney transplant in 2009 and underwent hip replacement surgery in May 2018.
She has been in the care of the National Heart and Lung Transplant team at the Mater Hospital in Dublin since it opened in 2003.