Miracle Transplant

Sonia Sein got the first-ever human trachea transplant at Mount Sinai in New York. The trachea is basically a tube that transports air to and from the lungs. The medical team performed the first complete surgical transplant of a windpipe. She is breathing freely again after getting the unusual transplant.

Sonia Sein spent years “trying to catch every breath at every moment” after her windpipe was damaged. The 56-year-old former social worker’s trachea was damaged in 2014 when she had to go on a ventilator because of a bad asthma attack.

She even feared suffocating while asleep. Now, Sein feels well enough to dance around with her grandchildren after undergoing the miracle transplant.

“For me, it felt like right after, I was able to breathe. When I took that first breath it was heaven,” said Sein.

Sein can now eat and breathe normally after the transplant. Incredible.