Pa. girl who fought for lung transplant now awake

[June 22, 2013]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A spokeswoman for the family of a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who underwent a double-lung transplant after a national debate over the process of getting the organs says the girl has awakened from a coma and is communicating by nodding to questions.

Tracy Simon says Sarah Murnaghan was awake Friday and responding to simple questions by nodding to indicate yes or no. Two days earlier, she was moved from a heavy-duty breathing machine to a traditional ventilator.

Sarah, from a town west of Philadelphia, suffers from severe cystic fibrosis. She underwent a six-hour operation after a judge intervened in her case and gave her a chance at the list of organs from adult donors, not just child donors.

Simon says Sarah is doing well but frustrated by her inability to speak.

[Associated Press]

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