PHOTO — ‘Pure Blessing’: Michigan Mother of Eight Gets Heart Transplant on Birthday

A mother who recently received a life-saving gift at the University of Michigan Health is thankful to be with her family for the holidays.

Jackson resident Rachel Lanham is the mother of eight children. Her recent heart transplant came the day she turned 48, Click on Detroit reported Thursday.

An image shows the mother making a heart with her hands as she lay in a hospital bed:

She will now enjoy the holidays at home with her family after the transplant process known as Donation After Circulatory Death.

“Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) means that after circulatory and respiratory functions have stopped, and death is pronounced by a physician, organs and tissues may be recovered and offered for transplant,” according to an explanation by the National Kidney Foundation.

In March, doctors at U-M Health transplanted the facility’s first DCD heart and has done many more such surgeries since that time.

Lanham’s surgery began the day before her birthday and doctors finished the procedure the morning she turned 48.

“It was the most amazing moment ever, pure blessing and chance,” Lanham recalled of the special gift.

In a social media post Thursday, U-M Medicine shared photos of Lanham in the hospital surrounded by loved ones.

Another image shows a dry erase board that says “Happy Birthday and Heart-a-versary!”

According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, when a person undergoes a heart transplant doctors replace a failing heart with a healthier donor heart.

“Heart transplant is a treatment that’s usually reserved for people whose condition hasn’t improved enough with medications or other surgeries,” the site reads.

Ten years ago, Lanham began feeling plagued by fatigue and shortness of breath. Following a genetic test, she learned she had a congenital heart disease known as Non-Compaction Cardiomyopathy.

She endured many health challenges related to the issue over the years and was eventually placed on the transplant list.

When she woke up on November 21 after the transplant, her husband and several of her children were there to celebrate the special day.

“The support of my family, friends, and faith have been critical for me; they got me through this whole thing. I take it one day at a time and try to do something new every day. I feel very blessed,” Lanham stated.