Thanks to a heart transplant: Emmanuelle is fighting for her life!

Thanks to a heart transplant: Emmanuelle is fighting for her life!

In a touching story, Emmanuelle Laudes, a 43-year-old mother from France, gains a new lease on life after a heart transplant. She had long suffered from heart failure and faced increasing health challenges. Doctors had already made it clear that her illness was getting worse and a transplant was the only option to save her life. That's why Emmanuelle was put on the waiting list for a heart transplant in October 2024, while feeling the weight of the situation: someone had to die so she could live, which she didn't take lightly.

On November 24, 2024, at 1:15 a.m., she received the saving call that a heart was waiting for her. She had to be in the hospital within two hours - a race against time because Emmanuelle was only a week away from her fate at this point. Fortunately, the operation was successful, but after eight days a complication arose, which was quickly treated by the medical team. Today Emmanuelle is in remission, appears stable after regular check-ups and is receiving intensive anti-rejection treatments.

Waiting for a new heart

The background to heart transplantation is complex and affects many different aspects. Every year around 500 people in France receive a donor heart. A transplant becomes necessary when other treatment methods such as medication or surgery can no longer help. The conditions are clearly defined: people over 65 years of age or patients with serious comorbidities such as cancer are excluded from the waiting list. To get on the list, it is important that all other options are exhausted.

Thorough examinations are required before a patient is placed on the waiting list. The donor organs are allocated by the Agency for Biomedicine. A central criterion is the urgency of the need and the chances of success of the transplant. Patients must then be contactable at all times, as they must be at the hospital within two hours of being notified if a heart is available. After the transplant, there is a recovery phase of almost two weeks in the intensive care unit, followed by extended rehabilitation that includes physical and psychological care.

Thanks to the donors

Emmanuelle is extremely grateful for the heart that was given to her. She emphasizes the immense importance of life and appeals to others to address the issue of organ donation. In her fight back to life, she sees not only a personal challenge, but also an opportunity to encourage others and give hope.

Emmanuelle Laudes' story illustrates what lies behind the decision to have a heart transplant and the emotions associated with it. Her journey is a powerful example that hope, courage and the support of the medical community can reveal paths that often seem unimaginable.

For more information about heart transplants and their procedures, you can visit the pages of Les Liens du Coeur and AOK visit. Emmanuelle's story is not only personal, but also an inspiration for many to think about organ donation.