Social Media Icon Claire Wineland Dies After Lung Transplant

YouTube star Claire Wineland has passed away one week after receiving a lung transplant. According to People, the 21-year-old, who passed away Sunday night, had battled cystic fibrosis for her whole life. Wineland, who had a large social media following, announced that she had made the list for a lung transplant this past Spring.

On August 26th, Wineland took to Twitter and posted a photo of her family and friends along with the caption:

“OMG!! Got THE CALL for lungs at 5:30 am! Waiting at UCSD to make sure they are a go..if so, I could have new lungs TODAY!! It’s a GO!!! Surgeon said they are perfect!! See y’all on the other side.”

But after undergoing a nine-hour surgery, Wineland suffered a major stroke. Wineland was on life support until Sunday night, when her family decided to take her off.

“After a week of intensive care and various life-saving procedures, it became clear that it was Claire’s time to go. In Claire fashion, she is an organ donor. Claire’s remarkable family were so happy for the other families that were now getting the calls that the organ they had long been waiting for was now available for transplant,” her family shared in a statement.

Winelandwas the founder of Claire’s Place, which seeks to support families dealing with cystic fibrosis. The foundation released a statement about her passing on Facebook, saying that Wineland had not been in any pain at the time of her passing and that her parents had been with her the whole time.

The hospital has since said that Wineland, who was an organ donor, had been able to save two lives so far.

“Claire was able to save the life of two people, her right kidney was transplanted to a 44-year-old woman in San Diego, and her left kidney was transplanted to a 55-year-old male in Northern California. Also, Claire’s corneas and tissue were recovered and she will be able to enhance the lives of up to 50 people,” said Wineland’s mother, Melissa Yeager, in an interview with CNN.

Wineland had a large social media following and was very frank about her battle with cystic fibrosis. It is a rare, life-threatening illness that can result in the thickening of mucus in organs like the lungs and digestive system. In addition to Wineland’s social following, she also gave a Tedx talk in 2017 and received a Teen Choice award in 2015.