A FORMER smoker has become the first patient in Britain to receive a ground-breaking “lungs in a box” transplant.
Daniel Evans-Smith, 49, received the organs after they were “reconditioned” by a machine mimicking the human body.
It keeps donor lungs alive for hours while a nutrient-rich liquid is pumped through them to improve their condition.
Daniel quit smoking 12 years ago but developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The event manager, of Northampton, said: “I feel very privileged to have been offered the opportunity to be in this situation.
“Last year it was discussed that I may soon need palliative care.
“Without having a lung transplant soon, the likelihood was that I wouldn’t survive much longer.
“I was woken early in the morning to news that a potentially suitable set of lungs had been found…