Double-lung transplant recipient released from hospital
Posted May 5, 2012 12:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, ON (NEWS1130) – She wasn’t expected to be released from the hospital for another week or so, but Helene Campbell is now resting at her Toronto home.
The organ donor activist tweeted from her @alungstory account around last night that she was, “casa at lasta.”
A photo showed the young woman sitting on the edge of her bed with a smile from ear to ear, and with an absent breathing tube.
She’s shown remarkable progress and perseverance according to her doctors, and even stepped outside the Toronto General Hospital for the first time last week and inhaled fresh air into her brand new lungs.
Helene also did exercises for the first time this week and tweeted that she felt great. “Feeling Amazing! Just did the bike in physio and didn’t need any oxygen! Miracle! Thank you for the endless support! #LYLT #BeAnOrganDonor.”
Campbell was diagnosed with advanced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis last October and underwent a double-lung transplant on April 6 as the only means of saving her life.
She spearheaded an organ donation awareness campaign through social media which attracted the attention of Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres. Since then, registrations for organ donation in the Ottawa area have soared to over 200,000 since December.
