By Marianne Craig
Reporter

A Derry man who was given just one year to live has been given a new lease of life after undergoing a rare heart and double lung transplant.
Ciaran Tyre, 38, from Hazelbank underwent the five hour operation on January 3 in Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire where he is now recovering.
The rare surgery, which was pioneered at Papworth in 1984, was carried out just three times in last year in the UK.
Ciaran was born with congenital heart disease and damaged lungs and underwent a major heart surgery when he was just seven years old.
However, his condition worsened in recent years and doctors told him he was unlikely to see his 40th birthday unless he underwent the potentially fatal surgery.
Ciaran had been on permanent standby for the transplant for over a year and on Boxing Day he received a call to say a donor had been found.
He was immediately rushed to England on a private plane, but on arrival at hospital was told that the organs weren’t suitable.
However, just after New Year’s Day Ciaran received a second call and this time the operation went ahead.
Speaking to the Derry News at the weekend, Ciaran’s father Seamus said the past month had been a difficult time for the family as the risks of the operation had been very high.