St Vincent's celebrates 1000th heart transplant

The St Vincent’s Heart Lung Transplant Unit recently performed the 1000th heart transplant on Margaret Blunden, a 63 year old Dapto local. 

"Now I can see a future, travel, reconnect with family and friends, just doing things I couldn't do - even hanging out the washing was a trial now I feel like I can hang mine and mum's out... It's just a whole new beginning that I never thought six months ago I would see, even friends that came to see me would leave and say we don't think she's going to last, so this to me is the most amazing gift anyone could give me", an emotional Margaret said.

In recent years, the Transplant Unit has been performing record numbers of transplants and in February, performed the 1000th lung transplant.

Having pioneered several surgical firsts since its establishment in 1984, the Unit today under the long-term leadership of A/Professor Phillip Spratt, achieves internationally leading patient outcomes with amongst the highest post-transplant survival rates in the world.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian joined us on the day along with Margaret and members of the Transplant Unit to cut a special heart-shaped celebratory cake.