Claudia Castillo Receives New Trachea Grown From Her Own Stem Cells

There is great news from an article I read on CNN International. Claudia Castillo, of Cali, Columbia, received a new windpipe grown from stem cells removed from her hip and nose. The operation was performed in Spain this past June and has saved Ms. Castillo from the necessity of the removal of a lung and/or a traditional transplant that would have required her to take anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life. Suffering from tuberculosis and chronic coughing spells that left her trachea badly damaged, she was unable to breathe without difficulty. Ms. Castillo is now almost fully recovered from her stem cell tracheal transplant and can now breathe better. Scientists believe this new type of transplant will revolutionize health care in the future. Ms. Castillo stated, "I feel good because it gives hope to sick people who haven't been given any hope." Here's the link to the full CNN article:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/22/windpipe.interview/index.html

Hopefully, this breakthrough will offer the possibility of stem cell transplants of other body parts, improving and saving many lives. This is definitely a field to watch.