Utah Mom, 39, Has Right Lung Removed as She Awaits Double Transplant for Stage 4 Cancer
Updated
Updated · KUTV 2News · Aug 21
Utah Mom, 39, Has Right Lung Removed as She Awaits Double Transplant for Stage 4 Cancer
1 articles · Updated · KUTV 2News · Aug 21
Summary
Kelsey Flake, a 39-year-old Utah mother of five, had her right lung removed Thursday and was placed on a double-lung transplant list in Chicago.
Northwestern Medicine required the surgery before listing her for donor lungs; she is now in a medically induced coma on a heart-lung machine, with doctors estimating a 2-to-4-day wait.
Flake was diagnosed in 2024 with a rare lung cancer tied to an SFTPM gene variation, and the disease returned in both lungs in January after chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgery.
With 41% lung capacity and full-time oxygen use, she entered the DREAM transplant study as a last option; after surgery, she is expected to stay in Chicago for a year while her five children remain in Utah.