Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been placed on the lung transplant waiting list following a significant deterioration in her health. According to her doctors on Friday, without this surgery, she likely has only about a year left to live. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis—a chronic disease that causes scarring of the lungs and leads to reduced oxygen absorption.
In December, Oslo University Hospital reported that the time for a transplant was approaching, but that the Crown Princess had not yet been added to the list of potential recipients in Norway.
About a year left to live
However, in recent months, there has been a "dramatic deterioration" in Mette-Marit's condition, leaving her with about a year to live, Professor Are Holm of Oslo University Hospital stated at a press conference on Friday.
This is a large-scale and complex operation. One must be sick enough to need it, but at the same time healthy enough to withstand the surgery itself and the arduous course of treatment
The Royal Palace, in its statement, called Mette-Marit's condition "life-threatening."
Earlier this week, Crown Prince Haakon cut short an official visit to Japan and returned home to be with his wife, while the couple's daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, flew back to Oslo from Australia, where she is studying.
In Norway, about 30–35 lung transplants are performed annually, and the Crown Princess joins the existing queue on equal terms with any other patient, the hospital reported. They also added that the current waiting list is short.
Specific criteria must be met for a successful transplant, Holm emphasized.
The organ must be the right size, have the matching blood type, and we must ensure the recipient does not have antibodies to the tissue type of that organ. It is about matching the right organ to the right person. This means many factors must align to increase the chances of success
According to the hospital's own data, up to 90% of lung transplant patients in Norway survive the first year after surgery, and about 55% remain alive after 10 years.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre praised the Crown Princess for her openness regarding her condition and noted that it could help others suffering from similar problems.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are postponing their 25th wedding anniversary celebrations, which were planned for August this year, the palace added.
Mette-Marit was 25 years old, an unmarried single mother and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999. This marked the beginning of an incredible royal romance that started with a press scandal but eventually won the hearts of most of the nation.
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