Sons donate half lung each to their mother

A woman in Edmonton has received a rare gift from her two sons: a new lung.

Brenda Kinnear, 51, has pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that destroys the lung's ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. Before the transplant, Kinnear said she often breathed normally but her limbs gave out from lack of oxygen. Doctors told her she had less than one year to live, but the wait time for lung transplants is often double that.

"They can just suddenly have a cold or whatever, and the next day, they pass away," said Dr. John Mullen, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Alberta Hospital. "They're on a very fine line between life and death."

Kinnear's two sons decided to each donate half of one lung to her. Her surgery took place on April 26.

"She brought me into this world," said Shannon Kinnear. "She is my life. She gave me life, and in turn this is my chance to give back to her."

Living-donor lung transplants are extremely complex and rare. They're risky for patients who may reject the transplant, and for donors who risk infections and possibly death.

Edmonton is the only place in Canada that offers the surgery. It has been successfully performed four times in the Alberta capital.

Kinnear said she is happy her sons took a chance on her. "Even if it only gives me five years, it's five years more than I had before."

She is looking forward to travelling and spending a more active Christmas with her family.