Manuela La Haba Jiménez marks nine years since heart transplant

Manuela La Haba Jiménez is approaching the ninth anniversary of her heart transplant. Her medical journey began at age seven following a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma in her jaw, the treatments for which caused long-term cardiac damage.

By age eleven, she suffered multi-organ failure due to chemotherapy toxicity and developed dilated cardiomyopathy. Despite managing her condition through marriage and motherhood, she reached a critical point at age 42 when her heart began to fail, leading to the implantation of a defibrillator and eventually a transplant.

Dr. Zorba Blázquez of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) notes that transplants are considered when advanced disease can no longer be managed through medication, devices, or other therapies, particularly when patients experience severe fatigue and arrhythmias.