Teen gets rare triple transplant surgery

HOUSTON This is the hospital's first surgery of this kind. She is only one of three pediatric patients in the U.S. to get this combination of heart, lungs and liver all in one operation. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Sherrouse of Brenham underwent the 13 hour surgery in late June.

All the organs came from one donor, but there were three different transplant teams all working in coordination.

Taylor is well enough today to attend a news conference about the surgery, along with her parents and doctors. Doctors explained the surgery, recovery and disease which brought her to this point.

Pediatric Pulmonologist Dr. George Mallory explained, "Taylor was born with cystic fibrosis. She's been a patient in our cystic fibrosis center since very early in life. As you may know, cystic fibrosis is particularly devastating in its effects on the lungs."

This condition also caused Taylor's heart to fail and created complications with her liver -- thus the need for the triple transplant.

Taylor is set for discharge this week. She's looking forward to going back to high school and resuming the regular life of a teenager.

Taylor's surgery announcement highlights the need for young organ donors. At Texas Children's Hospital alone, 72 children are waiting for vital organ transplants.