Sarah Murnaghan Awakes From Post-Surgery Coma, Put Back on Breathing Tube

Sarah Murnaghan, a 10-year-old who made headlines when she first needed and then received a lung transplant, woke up from a nine-day coma on June 24 after getting a six-hour surgery that included resizing the lungs to fit her body.

However, when doctors tried to remove a breathing tube two days later, the young girl struggled, prompting doctors to sedate and re-intubate her.

"It have cried quite a bit," Janet, Sarah's mother, told CNN. "I just wish everything wasn't so ridiculously hard for her."

Janet went on to explain that doctors have told the family that this recent setback does not change Sarah's long-term outcomes.

"One day Sarah will take that first glorious breath and we will celebrate!" she said.

Sarah suffers from cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, digestive tract and other areas of the body. With nearly 1,000 new cases diagnosed every year, symptoms include a persistent cough, frequent lung infections, wheezing or shortness of breath and frequent greasy, bulky stools.

According to Sarah's family, she had just weeks to live before the adult pair of lungs arrived, though the young girl's parents chose not to tell their daughter just how bad her condition was.

"I'm not going to tell her she's dying, because she's 10," Janet told CNN before the surgery.

At the time, Sarah's chances didn't look good. Due to her age, Sarah was bound by a national policy that stated that she did not qualify for adult lungs, which are far more common than children's lungs in terms of donation. Janet fought this, arguing that lung distribution should be based on need rather than age.

The protest sparked a viral social media movement and, as a result, the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network's executive committee approved a one-year change to the policy allowing children younger than 12 to compete for adult lungs on transplant lists.

At this point, Sarah remains on a ventilator and is unable to talk, but can nod and shake her head in response to questions, according to Tracy Simon, a family spokeswoman.