Danish woman shares fate with Norwegian crown princess after lung transplant

Dorte Chabert, a Danish lung transplant recipient, describes the “indescribable feeling” of breathing on her own after receiving donor lungs six years ago, a fate now shared by Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit following her own successful transplant, reports DR.

In 2020, Chabert received the call she had waited seven years for: a donor match. Hours later, she underwent surgery at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. Born with a rare lung disease, her lung function had dropped to just 8%, leaving her dependent on oxygen and a wheelchair.

“The gratitude that flows through you is impossible to describe,” she said. “To breathe on your own, without oxygen, without getting out of breath—it’s an incredible, indescribable feeling.”

Recovery was not immediate. The transplant brought rigorous medication, blood tests, and constant fear of rejection. Yet today, despite a gradual decline in lung function, Chabert says she has been given a new life. She hopes the Norwegian crown princess will experience the same.

“I’ve been given a new life—not my old life, but a new one,” she said. “I hope the crown princess gets that too, so she can be active with her children and live independently.”

In Denmark, 30 to 35 people receive lung transplants annually, typically for severe conditions like COPD or cystic fibrosis. Donor lungs typically last 5–7 years, according to Rigshospitalet and the Danish Lung Association.