A 16-year-old girl in need of a double lung transplant had her operation at the Stollery Children’s Hospital on Sunday.
Jelena Grover has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects her lungs and digestive system. She’s been waiting for a transplant since January.
“Jelena just got the call,” her mother Tammy wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
“The transplant co-ordinator said the surgery will be later this afternoon. There is also a chance it can be a dry run but the lungs of the donor and blood type are a match.
“We have been waiting a long time for this call. Please pray for the donor and their family. Also please pray for Jelena! I can’t believe this is happening.”
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Tammy posted several updates after the surgery, explaining there was a complication and that Jelena was being closely monitored.
“So much going on,” she wrote on Monday. “Don’t stop praying. Everyone’s prayers are working.”
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Jelena was basically confined to her hospital room for months prior to her transplant.
To cheer her up, her mom posted a request on Facebook — that people send her daughter cards of encouragement.
In two weeks, Jelena received dozens of cards — from friends, family and even strangers. One card arrived all the way from Louisiana.
“It gave me hope,” Jelena said in June.
“She gets a smile instantly,” her mom added. “It just makes her feel good all around.”
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After her story aired on Global News, hundreds more cards — including one from Paris — streamed into Jelena’s hospital room, covering the walls with words of support.
The family is originally from Regina but has been staying in Edmonton for Jelena’s medical care. Her brother Jadyn also has cystic fibrosis.
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