Breathing easy again after a double lung transplant

It was at that moment her mother knew something was wrong.

Although doctors had originally assumed she had asthma, a chest X-ray would later reveal that Tahlia had an enlarged heart and primary pulmonary hypertension: a condition that affects the lungs.

For the next 10 years, she’d rely on medication to keep her healthy, only coming to Toronto from her hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia once a year for check-ups.

“I actually lived a typical childhood, to the best of my ability,” says Tahlia. “I still did the things I love to do, like acting, singing, dancing and hanging out with my friends.”

In fact, her love for musicals found her performing in local plays as a cheerleader in Grease and Pepper in Mamma Mia.

The surgery

In 2019, however, Tahlia’s health deteriorated when her body wasn’t responding to a new medication as well as doctors had hoped. Eventually, it was decided that it was time for a double lung transplant.

While her transplant was originally scheduled for April 2020, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the surgery was postponed until November.

“Right before the surgery, I was excited that it was finally happening. We had been waiting for six months,” says Tahlia. 

“The surgery lasted 12 hours but I was sedated for four days. Then after that, I woke up but then my health was not doing the best. I couldn’t walk as far as I would have liked to. They think I possibly had pneumonia, and I was in the ICU for two weeks.”

The recovery

Eventually, as part of her recovery plan, Tahlia headed to Holland Bloorview to regain strength in her legs. With the help from her physiotherapist, she practised walking on a treadmill, biking, and even climbing a ladder to build her endurance.

But, aside from her appointments, one of her favourite parts about being an inpatient at Bloorview was participating in all the therapeutic recreation programs.

“I was immunocompromised from the transplant, but the therapeutic recreation staff would come to my room and do activities with me, or they would set it all up so that I could participate safely with the other kids.”

During her stay, Tahlia participated in arts and crafts, cooking activities, and even learned to knit. She also made friends who she still keeps in touch with today. Together they’d play Just Dance, especially the Michael Jackson version.

“One day, I brought my PlayStation down and the inpatients on the floor fell in love with it, to the point where I think they wanted me to bring it every single day,” she says.

When Tahlia was discharged from Holland Bloorview, she left behind a Just Dance game for other clients to enjoy.

And as this 16-year-old is finishing up her Grade 11 glasses online, she’s eager to see what the future has in store. Although Tahlia hasn’t decided her plans post-high school, she’s thought about becoming a nurse, teacher or actor in the future. But for now, she’s looking forward to seeing her friends, returning to acting group and starting competitive dance.

“I've always wanted to get into competitive dance, like hip hop, tap, and ballet. So I really want to look into doing that when I get home,” she says. ”And then I can't wait to go back to my acting group and actually be able to physically do the dances.”

And even though Tahlia’s eager to return home to Halifax, she’ll always remember her time at Holland Bloorview.

“I didn't really feel like I was in a hospital,” she says. “It felt like a home.”