NEW HEART FOR RETARDED WOMAN
A woman with Down syndrome who was at first refused a heart-lung transplant because doctors did not think she was smart enough to handle the effects underwent the operation today.
The woman, Sandra Jensen, 35, is believed to be the first seriously retarded person in the United States to receive a major transplant. She was listed in critical but stable condition after the five-hour operation, which occurred after Stanford Medical Center reversed course.
"I'm ecstatic," said Dr. William Bronston, a state rehabilitation administrator and friend of Ms. Jensen who had helped lead the fight for her transplant. "This is a miracle. The struggle to get Sandra on the transplant list was really a struggle to get everyone in the country on the list."




