I waited for three years for my double lung transplant
The old theatre motto ‘the wait no longer than nine months, but show must go on’ holds a his immune system showed signs of special meaning for Charles rejecting new lungs, so he had to wait Duke. Born with cystic for a perfect match. fibrosis, his parents were told he was He spent two weeks in hospital each unlikely to reach his 20th birthday. month that he was on the waiting list.
Yet the actor continued to sing each Charles was twice told he had a night, even as the disease stole his donor, only for the transplant to fall ability to breathe. through. Then in May, he had a ninehour
But when his lung collapsed on stage operation for another set of lungs. during a Christmas show, even Charles Charles said: “As my new lungs could not go on. Despite limping expanded, I could feel them touch my through to the interval, he had to send ribs because I wasn’t used to it. I even on his understudy for the second act. had to learn to cough again.”
He spent Christmas recovering in Charles has to take more than 40 hospital with tubes in his pills a day to stop his body chest to drain the fluid rejecting his new lungs. crushing his vital organs. He hasn’t been told
Two weeks later, his lung anything about his donor. collapsed again. He hopes to return to the
Charles, then 19, was told stage in this year’s Christmas he needed a double lung Spectacular at the Regent’s transplant within two years Centre in Christchurch, or he would die. But due to Dorset, the same show where a shortage of suitable organs he suffered a collapsed lung. he had to wait more than Charles said: “There are a three years. lot of people not well Charles, now 23, said: “I Charles enough to wait so long, and
takes to the stage felt weak and short of if my lungs hadn’t stabilised, breath, but I had no idea my lung had I wouldn’t either. The doctors thought collapsed. I had a bit of a breakdown. I had two years tops. If you saw
“I had to give up performing, which someone about to walk in front of a was devastating. It wasn’t just my bus, you would save their career, it was my hobby. It was what all life. Organ donation is no my family and friends did.” different. It’s great there
At first, doctors expected Charles to could soon be more donors.