Mansfield man undergoes double lung transplant with groundbreaking 'lungs in a fridge' technology

MANSFIELD, Texas - A Mansfield man is one of the first patients to benefit from new technology that gives doctors more time to perform delicate lung transplant surgeries.

Approximately 12 patients have received a double lung transplant thanks to the "lungs in a fridge" technology available in the U.S.

Among the patients is a North Texas husband and father of two, who has been battling colorectal cancer for nearly a decade.

Local perspective:

Tadd Crosslin has a lot to live for. The 49-year-old Mansfield resident is an avid skier and golfer. But he's had to put his life on hold due to his ongoing battle with stage 4 colorectal cancer.

"This originally started when I was 40," he said.

Even worse, the cancer spread to his lungs.

Crosslin underwent a double lung transplant last September at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago, but he says it wasn’t easy.

"They had complications removing them," he said. "So they refused to my chest wall."

The lifesaving surgery was performed at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.

"Your surgery was absolutely one of the most difficult that I've done in my career. The lungs that we saw were perhaps the most diseased we've ever seen," Dr. Ankit Bharat with the hospital told Crosslin.

Big picture view:

Surgeons needed extra time for the delicate procedure, and they were able to get it through a lung refrigerator.   

The technology was pioneered in Canada and Europe. Most recently, it was adopted successfully at Northwestern Medicine.

The refrigeration can keep the lungs intact for up to 18 hours, compared to about four hours when kept in ice. 

With the new refrigeration technology, doctors can fly further distances across the U.S. while keeping the vital organs preserved.

Part of the program's mission is to treat patients like Crosslin, who have advanced lung diseases and are out of options.

What they're saying:

Crosslin was one of 12 patients who had lung transplant surgery in 2024 using lung refrigeration. He's forever grateful.

"I'm doing fantastic," he said. "I was told I would be in the hospital for 2-4 weeks. I was out in nine days. I went to rehabilitation, and I got out of there early as well."

Crosslin says it wouldn’t be possible without his team of supporters.

"It takes an army for me to be here today. And I have a lot of folks that supported me and prayed along the way," he said. "One thing I don't want to leave out to you is thanking that donor as well. Somebody made the ultimate sacrifice for me to be here today."

What's next:

Crosslin will have to stay in Chicago in September for monitoring. Once he’s medically cleared for travel, he plans to go skiing with his family.