‘Flu left me needing a double lung transplant — NHS change gives hope’

A woman who is waiting for a double lung transplant after severe flu slashed her lung capacity to 30% has described a new NHS trial as “a shining light of hope”. Several major hospitals in England are running a pilot of techniques to keep donor organs preserved for longer. The scheme could see the number of transplants carried out annually rise by up to 750, including around 200 more lung transplants.

Claire Davies, 41, is waiting for a match and keeps her bag packed, ready to rush to hospital if a donor is found. She said the new perfusion techniques — which circulate oxygenated blood or nutrient-rich fluids through organs — were “remarkable and an amazing development for organ donation”.

Claire added: “I think this pilot scheme is like a shining light of hope. Hope that there’s more chance you’ll get a match, hope the lungs you receive have been assessed thoroughly and they are perfect for you, and hope you get your quality of life back. But most of all, it’s hope for families of donors and provides comfort that their loved ones’ donated lungs haven’t been wasted.”

Claire, from Teeside in North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with the lung conditions bronchiolitis obliterans and severe cystic bronchiectasis as a child, which caused breathlessness. Then in 2022, she was struck by a bout of flu that “completely floored me”.

Claire said: “My oxygen levels were so low that I was at risk of dying. But I couldn’t be put on a ventilator, because my lungs were so weak that I’d never be able to come off it. I was so ill I couldn’t even talk. It was terrifying.”

Claire’s lungs were permanently damaged and simple tasks such as making a cup of tea or cooking leave her breathless. She now relies on supplemental oxygen 24/7. She receives 22 cylinders per week and has to carry it whenever she leaves the house.

Claire was first added to the NHS transplant waiting list in May 2025, then temporarily removed due to illness. She was reactivated last month. There is no way to predict when a match will be found.

She added: “They have told me that I’m going to be waiting longer because I need small adult lungs — I’m 4′ 10″. Small lungs obviously don’t come up often. I’m very scared of the operation. But when everything else has failed, it’s your last chance of hope. There is so much strict criteria to get onto the list and I feel very lucky that they’ve given me a chance to maybe live again, the hope to get my quality of life back.

“Because I’ve never had two fully working lungs before my life, I don’t know what that feels like. What could I do and how will I feel?”

The preservation techniques will buy more time for medics to carry out the checks needed to accept organs for operations. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said changes were needed to save more organs due to the record high transplant waiting list, which stands at more than 8,000 people.

The first lung pilot centre has opened at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and will be followed by lung pilot sites at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and Harefield Hospital in London.

Claire, who works from home as a registered nurse, added: “The NHS gets a lot of flack but things like this which can change people’s lives are just remarkable. Those people who are dedicated to their jobs and improving people’s lives are the real heroes. This could potentially improve and save more patient’s lives who are so desperately waiting for their gift from selfless donors.”

Claire now works with Asthma + Lung UK to raise awareness of lung conditions.

Dr Andrew Whittamore, the charity’s clinical lead, said the NHS trial was “incredibly encouraging news for people living with serious lung conditions who are waiting for a lung transplant”.

He added: “For many, the wait can be long and uncertain, and sadly not everyone receives the organ they need in time. In that time spent waiting, they are going to be massively limited by their symptoms while also coping with the added burden of not knowing whether they will be lucky enough to get a new lease of life. “

Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, said: “There is an urgent need to innovate in organ utilisation. “Survival on the transplant waitlist is a daily struggle, and hundreds of patients will die this year before they can receive a life-saving transplant.

“Donation alone cannot close the gap. This programme will help us preserve donor organs so we can assess them and make the best use of the gift of donation.”