California doctor receives life-saving lung transplant after news report

Innovative Triple Organ Transplant Saves California Doctor’s Life

In a groundbreaking medical first, Dr. Gary Gibbon, a pulmonologist from Santa Monica, California, has successfully undergone a triple organ transplant at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. Diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer in spring 2023, Gibbon was told he had exhausted all treatment options after aggressive therapies failed to reverse the irreversible damage to his lungs.

Remembering a news story about double lung transplants for late-stage lung cancer patients, Gibbon learned about Northwestern Medicine’s innovative approach to replacing both cancerous lungs with healthy, transplanted lungs. However, Gibbon required a triple transplant – two lungs and a liver – a procedure that had never been performed in the country before.

Despite the complexity and risks involved, the team at Northwestern Medicine decided to proceed with the surgery. Just four days after arriving in Chicago, a matching set of lungs and a liver became available for Gibbon’s transplant. The intricate surgical procedure took a team of experts 10 hours to complete but was ultimately successful.

Six months post-surgery, Dr. Gibbon is now cancer-free and feeling healthier than ever. His wife, Nola Roller, described witnessing her husband’s new lungs inflating as a truly beautiful moment. Dr. Ankit Bharat, a key member of Gibbon’s medical team, believes that more transplant centers will soon be performing complex surgeries like Gibbon’s.

The pivotal role of the media in connecting Gibbon with the groundbreaking DREAM program cannot be overstated. A news report by NBC News brought the innovative treatment option to Gibbon’s attention, ultimately leading to his life-saving triple organ transplant. Roller credits this news report with saving her husband’s life, stating that without it, Gibbon would not be alive today.

This remarkable story of medical innovation and the power of news media highlights the hope and possibilities that groundbreaking treatments can offer to patients facing dire health challenges.