Anastasia was in an artificial coma for 32 days, before she woke up. That made her the first greek woman with Cystic fibrosis who woke up from a coma and the first ever person who woke up after such a long coma, globally.
In total, Anastasia endured:
32 days in an artificial coma
108 days on awake VV ECMO (Extracorporeal Lung Life Support): The first cystic fibrosis patient to endure this long on ECMO.
162 days with tracheostomies
180 days (almost) paralyzed on her back, without the ability to talk or to eat, waiting patiently to find the donor who could save her
221 days in a hospital room
And a lung transplant after…
“You have no idea how difficult it was to live without speaking, how hard it was to stay still and feel so hopeless and helpless”, she said.
Did you know that you are six times more likely to need a transplant yourself than to donate? Every person can save 8 lives. After long waiting, Anastasia started to believe again. Anastasia is alive today because someone donated lungs and gave her the opportunity to live again!
I’m going home. I’m writing this and I don’t believe it. I’m going home! I’m going home!!! Mom, I’m coming. I made it. I live, breathe, walk. LIVE.
After all this tough and painstaking experience, Anastasia wants to give a message to all, by explaining to us how important it is to become organ donors. In Belgium, a country with the same population as Greece, 100 lung transplants are performed every year. If we achieve these numbers, Greece, as a country, will be capable to save a lot of lives. At this moment, less than 10% of the transplants that are performed in Belgium are performed in Greece.
Anastasia’s recovery happened not only due to her mental and physical strength, but also due to the help of the doctors and nursing staff, as she said.
In January 2019, she went on to found the non-profit organization, Be Visible Be You, and is now dealing with combating stereotypes towards diversity and raising awareness about minorities.
Today, Anastasia lives under immunosuppression and cannot socialize with people to avoid health risks. However, as she said, she does not mind because she managed to live.
Against all odds, Anastasia succeeded to survive and continue her life again.
Read more about cystic fibrosis
Original article: Published on 10 October 2022 in Lifo.gr
Photo credit: Anastasia’s Tasoula social media
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