Second Child to Challenge Organ Donor Rules Gets Lung Transplant

New York boy fights rule that requires potential recipients to be 12 before being put on waiting list

Javier Acosta can finally start to breathe easy. The New York boy received a new set of lungs after challenging the nation's organ transplants rules.

Acosta, as well as Pennsylvania's Sarah Murnaghan, forced the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to change the rules that allowed adolescents and adults to receive organs based on their needs or sickness. Up until now, children had to wait until they turned 12 years old to be put on the waiting list.

Javier had surgery on October 13th after his mother Milagros Martinez successfully filed a lawsuit allowing him to be put on the same list as those over 12.  Javier's mom waited to tell everyone the news about the transplant until he recovered from the surgery.