Sarah Murnaghan recovering from tracheotomy procedure

PHILADELPHIA - July 12, 2013 (WPVI) -- A 10-year-old girl whose fight to obtain a lung transplant resulted in a court ruling in her favor was resting comfortably after trachea surgery, her mother said Friday.

Sarah Murnaghan's mother, Janet, wrote on Facebook that she was relieved the procedure was over and called it a joy to see her daughter's face without tape or tubes.

The procedure, a tracheostomy, created an opening into Sarah's windpipe that she can breathe through. Janet Murnaghan said it will allow her daughter to speak, eat and drink without a ventilator, and make it easier for her to get out of bed and engage in rehabilitation programs.

Officials at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where Sarah is being treated, have declined to comment on her case.

The Newtown Square girl, who has end-stage cystic fibrosis, twice received a pair of adult lungs after a federal judge ruled in favor of her parents' lawsuit challenging national rules regarding organ donations

The case sparked a national debate about organ donation rules. Her first set of adult lungs, transplanted June 12, failed. A second set was transplanted three days later, and she had surgery July 2 to repair her diaphragm.

Earlier this week, Janet Murnaghan disclosed that Sarah had contracted pneumonia in her right lung, calling it a significant setback.

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