81-year-old Marie Larner received a heart transplant over two decades ago and is marketing a milestone in what proved to be a life-saving procedure. Prior to the procedure, Larner had already suffered five heart attacks and was going through heart failure. She admitted that she "would have been long gone" without the transplant.
Hospital staff and people from the community got together at the Brigham & Women's hospital to commemorate Larner's 25th heart transplant anniversary. This is the same hospital where she received her gift of life in 1989. She is also the first person in this area to undergo the procedure. Brigham & Women's began their transplant program in 1984, and also celebrated a benchmark when they performed their 500th heart transplantation back in 2005.
When Larner was 56 years old, she contracted a virus that caused her heart to enlarge and become three times its normal size. The condition quickly developed into heart failure. She developed a persistent cough, difficulty in breathing, and had trouble talking. She was soon in critical condition after going through five heart attacks and the circumstances secured her spot on the hospital's heart transplant list. Larner said, "That's what made me decide to go through with this. I was fortunate that it came through fast. I got in just in time." She Also recounted how, prior to the heart condition, she rarely got sick and that it felt like "it hit [me] all at once."
Since her transplant, Larner has developed other health problems. She required a pacemaker shortly after her transplant in 1998. It has been replaced twice since then. She has also had a double bypass back in 2001. In 2002, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, went into remission, and was diagnosed a second time in 2009. This year, she is celebrating her fifth year of being cancer free. At the moment, Larner's heart valves are damaged, but her age is a great risk factor for undergoing another surgery. She is hoping, however, that her story will be a source of inspiration and motivate more people to extend the gift of life to others by becoming organ donors.
