The first lung was transplanted at the Großhadern Clinic 35 years ago. An operation like this gave Geraldine Laprell the chance for a new life. Today she has two children – although the doctors at the time said having children was too dangerous for her.
When Geraldine Laprell learns that she needs new lungs, she is 25 years old. She is currently building a life as a film producer in Munich, and it suddenly becomes clear to her: this life is fragile. A disease called fibrosis causes more and more tissue in her lungs to become scarred, something that cannot be stopped or reversed. She received the second piece of bad news right away with the diagnosis: she probably didn’t have children in her life – it was too dangerous to have a transplanted lung, the doctors told her at the time.