Boy discovers passion for art after double lung transplant

HOUSTON, Texas -- Mahmoud Badr is feeling more energetic than ever before.

The 11-year-old underwent at double lung transplant at Texas Children's hospital in the summer of 2023. Since then, he discovered a new talent - art.

"I like to draw mostly from Disney and anime characters," Mahmoud said.

His mother, Sarah Elsafty, shared that Mahmoud was in and out of the hospital since he was 3-years-old. He required oxygen and was chronically fatigued due to Common variable immunodeficiency, or C-VID.

"He would always get these infections when he was younger, but by the time we figured out what the problem was there were so much damage to the lungs, they were operating at 20% capacity only," Elsafty said.

The good news, Doctor David Moreno-McNeill explained, Mahmoud didn't have to wait too long to find an adequate donor.

"It was a pretty surprising thing because some of our patients have to wait longer and he was lucky that he got an offer right away," Dr. Moreno-McNeill said.

Click the video above to see the story.