Stacy Sewell, 24, Recipient of Lung Transplants From Parents, Dies

Stacy Sewell, the Quartz Hill woman who received lung transplants from both of her parents in a 1993 operation that made medical history and saved her life, has died of complications of bacterial pneumonia, her family said Tuesday.

Sewell, whose own lungs were ravaged by a lifelong battle against cystic fibrosis, died Saturday--her 24th birthday--at USC University Hospital in Los Angeles, the facility where the landmark surgery took place Jan. 29, 1993.

In the operation, physicians replaced Sewell’s diseased lungs with two healthy lobes--one each from her mother and her father. It was the first lung transplant using two living donors and the first involving a cystic fibrosis patient.

The surgery set off a medical ethics debate because it put three lives in jeopardy at once.

But Stacy Sewell’s mother, Barbara Sewell, said Tuesday that she and her husband, Jim, have never had any second thoughts about the operation, which was performed when Stacy was believed to be only days away from death.

“I would do it again with no regrets whatsoever,” Barbara Sewell said.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that affects about 30,000 Americans. It causes thick, sticky mucus to build up, leading to chronic infections in the lungs and other parts of the body. Stacy Sewell had struggled with the disorder from birth, her family said.

When she left USC University Hospital about a month after the 1993 operation, Stacy Sewell told a reporter, “It’s so nice to be able to breathe like a normal person. . . . I love air! It’s so nice. Breathing is the most wonderful feeling that I could ever imagine.”

Soon afterward, she returned to her part-time job as a sales clerk at a Mervyn’s store in Lancaster and began taking a full schedule of classes at Antelope Valley College.

In an interview a year after her operation, Sewell, a petite woman with wavy brown hair, said the surgery had given her the freedom to lead a near-normal life.

Until about 10 days ago, Sewell maintained an active lifestyle, her mother said.

“Stacy lived those two years with more enthusiasm than I think most people live their whole lives with,” Barbara Sewell said.

The family has asked that any memorial donations be sent to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 2150 Towncenter Place, Suite 120, Anaheim, CA 92806.

A public memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at USC University Hospital, 1500 San Pablo St., Los Angeles.

In addition to her parents, Stacy Sewell is survived by a sister, Ritchey Sewell of Washington state, and a brother, Craig Sewell of San Diego.