An Ontario mother who survived in hospital for six days without lungs before receiving a life-saving transplant said she was completely unaware of the unprecedented steps that had been taken to keep her alive.
Melissa Benoit, a married mother of one, was born with cystic fibrosis. Last year, she developed a lung infection that had spread throughout her body.
In April, Benoit was in an induced coma, on a ventilator and near death when her family gave doctors at Toronto General Hospital the go-ahead to remove her lungs, in an effort to bide time before a double-lung transplant.
In what is believed to be the world鈥檚 first procedure of this kind, doctors used state-of-the-art technology to circulate her blood, keeping her alive for six days.
When she woke up, Benoit was unaware of the steps that had been taken to save her life.
鈥淭he last day that I remember was Easter Sunday of 2016, and then I woke up in another hospital unable to move, unable to speak and I didn鈥檛 know what happened,鈥� Benoit said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Wednesday.
鈥淚 remember waking up and my mom was there, and she said, 鈥楬i Melissa.鈥� And I couldn鈥檛 say hi and I couldn鈥檛 really figure it out but she explained what had happened and I didn鈥檛 really believe her at all.鈥�
Benoit said she wasn鈥檛 in pain and couldn鈥檛 see any of her scars. 鈥淪o I didn鈥檛 really believe that I鈥檇 had a lung transplant.鈥�
Benoit said her family made the same decision she would have if she鈥檇 been well enough to consent.
鈥淗aving a chronic disease like cystic fibrosis meant that you talked about the ifs and the whens, about end-of-life care what would happen in certain situations, which I think, is important for anybody to talk about, even if you don鈥檛 have a chronic illness.鈥�
Benoit said her mother and husband, who are joint decision-makers when it comes to her health needs, 鈥渒new that I would want to fight to the end as long as there was a reasonable chance of recovery.鈥�
They knew she would 鈥渨ant to fight for my daughter Olivia, I would want to be back with my family again,鈥� she added.
Today, Benoit is feeling 鈥減retty great.鈥� But she still has a way to go in her medical journey.
鈥淏ecause of how sick I had become here in the ICU, my kidneys shut down and I went into acute kidney failure and unfortunately, they have decided not to recover,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I will be requiring a kidney transplant very soon, of which my mom is going to be my living donor.鈥�
Tearing up, Benoit said there were 鈥渘o words鈥� to describe how it felt when her mother offered to be her donor.
鈥淚 just said, 鈥榯hank you.鈥� But if it was my daughter I would be doing the exact same thing,鈥� Benoit said.
Today, Benoit is relishing being at home with her young daughter, and just being able to do 鈥渄ay-to-day鈥� things.
When she was being discharged after six months in the hospital, Benoit said a nurse suggested her family go on vacation.
鈥淚 told her, 'I don鈥檛 want to go anywhere except home, I want to enjoy my home again.鈥欌��
