Sarah Murnaghan Has Successful Lung Transplant Following Court Battle Over Donor Rules [VIDEO]

Sarah Murnaghan has a genetic illness called cystic fibrosis. A disease which can sometimes be fatal, cystic fibrosis damages the lungs and the digestive system. 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan received a lung transplant after a judge stepped in and allowed the girl to receive adult donor lungs.

Sarah Murnaghan and her parents were fighting for her lung transplant because donor rules say children under 12 cannot receive adult lungs. The girl was given only weeks to live if she did not get the transplant and slipped into a coma four days before the surgery.

The Monahan's fight sparked national debate over how organs for transplants are allocated. On Wednesday Sarah Murnaghan was taken into surgery to receive a lung transplant after a judge over turned the under 12 rule for transplant recipients. The rule was only waived in Sarah's case and not for all children awaiting organs.

Now that a judge has stepped in and over turned this donor rule for one child, parents of sick children can hope for similar results for their children if they fall under the under 12 rule.

Newsmax.com says Sarah Murnaghan's surgery took six hours and her surgeons were able to successfully reshape the adult lungs to fix Murnaghan's body. Reports say since Sarah's illness is genetic the cystic fibrosis will not affect her new lungs. The concern is however, that the disease will attack her other organs.

Janet Murnaghan, Sarah's mother made an announcement via Facebook saying her daughter was getting the surgery and thanked the anonymous donor for saving her daughter's life.

"God is great! He moved the mountain! Sarah got the call. She will be taken back [to surgery] in 30min. Please pray for Sarah's donor, her hero, who has given her the gift of life."

In a later post Janet Murnaghan wrote, "We are thrilled to share that Sarah is out of surgery. Her doctors are very pleased with both her progress during the procedure and her prognosis for recovery."

Sarah Murnaghan still has a long road ahead of her. A doctor specializing in lung transplants spoke with CBS saying it is one of the most difficult surgeries out there. The doctor said if Sarah can make it through the first year after surgery she will have a 50 to 70 percent chance of making it another 5-years. If she is able to survive that, Sarah Murnaghan will have a 50 percent chance of making it another 10-years.