Lindsey and Blake, surrounded by her doctors

CLEVELAND — About 15 minutes into a morning press conference at the Cleveland Clinic, a 26-year-old woman who received the nation’s first uterus transplant made a surprise appearance, wheeled into the room by her husband.

The couple, who has chosen to reveal only their first names, Lindsey and Blake, expressed thanks to the Clinic’s eight-person surgical team, which operated on her February 24th, and to the donor’s family.

“They have provided me with a gift that I will never be able to repay, and I am beyond thankful,” Lindsey said, her husband standing behind her. “The reason I chose to speak today is because I want to be open and honest and to share my story.”

At 16, doctors told Lindsey she would never be able to have children of her own, she said.

“From that moment on, I prayed that God would allow me the opportunity to experience pregnancy,” she said. “Here we are today at the beginning of that dream.”

Lindsey and her husband have adopted three boys through the foster care system. They asked for privacy to protect their children, and did not reveal any further personal details about themselves.

“We will give updates as we can,” Lindsey said.

Clinic doctors said she will remain in the hospital for a month and then be able to return home. They would not say if she is from the Northeast Ohio area, though the New York Times reported she had traveled more than 1,000 miles to be evaluated for the trial.

Lindsey will return to the hospital monthly for testing until pregnancy, doctors said.

Source: Cleveland