| Addison Rerecich | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1, 1999 Marana, Arizona, United States |
| Died | December 30, 2019(2019-12-30) (aged 20) Marana, Arizona, United States |
Addison Rerecich (October 1, 1999 – December 30, 2019) was an American double-lung transplant recipient who spent the longest documented duration of time using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy at 93 days. She underwent the transplant at age 11 in 2011 and was the subject of a 2013 episode of Frontline on PBS. She suffered from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a difficult-to-treat staph infection.
Infection
In May 2011, Rerecich began showing a variety of symptoms including fatigue, hip pain, and a high fever. Her mother Tonya, a registered nurse, gave Addison ibuprofen to treat the symptoms and eventually took her to a local hospital. Doctors there suspected a virus, but the pain and fever continued to get worse over the following few days. Eventually, Tonya took her daughter to the Diamond Children's Medical Center, a part of the University of Arizona Medical Center.
The day she arrived at the hospital, Addison went into septic shock and was soon placed on ECMO therapy to sustain life. Doctors eventually discovered that she had contracted an antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA (probably from a scrape or scab). Other complications she encountered during her five-month hospital stay included Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, e. coli, a drug-resistant form of pneumonia, a pulmonary embolism, and a stroke. She also underwent several surgeries.
Double-lung transplant
In September 2011, Rerecich underwent a successful double-lung transplant surgery. She returned home in November 2011. The total medical cost of her hospital stay reached $6 million. Rerecich continued to engage in physical therapy and took dozens of medications daily to limit the chance of infection.
Death
Rerecich's body began to reject her lungs in early 2019. She refused to have another transplant. Rerecich died in her home on December 30, 2019, surrounded by friends and family at the age of 20.
References
- ^ Innes, Stephanie (September 25, 2011). "Local girl near death is saved by double-lung transplant". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Riley, Katie (March 13, 2013). "UAMC Uses Technology to Save Patients With Extreme Heart Failure". University of Arizona. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Slaten, Darci (September 15, 2011). "The University of Arizona Medical Center – University Campus and Diamond Children's Receive 'ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support'". University of Arizona. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ Hoffman, David E. (correspondent) (October 22, 2013). "Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria". Frontline. Season 31. Episode 14. PBS.
{{cite episode}}:|first=has generic name (help) - Marco, Meg (October 22, 2013). "We Are In The Era Of "Nightmare" Bacteria And Nobody Seems To Care". The Consumerist. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ Innes, Stephanie (November 2, 2011). "Young Tucson double lung recipient back at home". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Innes, Stephanie (April 8, 2012). "New lungs and hard fight give Addie her 2nd wind". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- O'Reilly, Scott (February 6, 2017). "Surviving Superbugs: 3 Amazing People Who Battled Deadly Bacteria". Alternative Daily. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Rerecich, Tonya (February 2012). "Addie Rerecich". Infectious Diseases Society of America. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Innes, Stephanie (November 22, 2012). "Thankful for every day". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Innes, Stephanie (July 31, 2011). "Families of ill, injured finding support online". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Boucher, Helen (June 13, 2013). "We need more new antibiotics". CNN. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- Overall, John (December 31, 2019). "Addison Rerecich, beloved Tucsonan passes away at age 20". KVOA Tucson. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- Burch, Cathalena E. (December 31, 2019). "'Pink Ninja' Addison Rerecich dies at 20". tucson.com. Retrieved August 6, 2022.