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Chicago Woman Thrives After Rare Triple-Organ Transplant at Northwestern

Doctors link her organ failure to lasting chemotherapy damage, making vigilant follow-up crucial.

Overview

  • Jessica Lopez, 32, is recovering well months after a Feb. 24 operation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
  • Surgeons implanted the heart and liver as a single block, then added a kidney, with simultaneous teams working to minimize ischemic time.
  • Clinicians say chemotherapy she received as a child likely led to cardiomyopathy that progressed to heart, liver and kidney failure.
  • Triple-organ transplants remain uncommon in the United States, with background notes citing roughly 59 prior cases.
  • Her prognosis is described as excellent, and she is resuming life plans including forensic studies at Loyola University Chicago and a 2026 wedding.