Waiting for a new lung

Mette-Marit’s doctor: “Only one year left to live”

Mette-Marit’s doctor shocked everyone with his statement that she has only one year left to live.(Bild: Krone-Collage/EPA/Lise Aserud, APA-Images / Action Press / Dutch Press Photo Agency)

Time is running out. After it was announced that Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit (52) had been placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant, her doctors have now spoken openly for the first time about the dramatic circumstances.

At a press conference in Oslo, the doctors made it clear: The wife of Crown Prince Haakon is not receiving special treatment. She meets the same criteria as any other patient on the transplant list.

One of these criteria is likely to shock many people: “The patient must be so ill that we have reason to believe they have only one year left to live,” explained Mette-Marit’s attending physician, Are Holm, chief physician and lung specialist at Rikshospitalet in Oslo.

Heart and lung surgeon Arnt Fiane (left) and pulmonologist Are Holm at a press conference at Oslo University Hospital(Bild: AFP/LISE ASERUD)

’shealth has deteriorated significantlyJust last Friday morning, the Norwegian Royal House announced that, following a comprehensive medical examination, the Crown Princess had been placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant. The day before, Mette-Marit had already undergone several hours of examinations at Rikshospitalet.

Now her doctors have confirmed just how serious the situation actually is. “The Crown Princess’s condition has deteriorated significantly over the past six months,” Holm told the assembled journalists.

Using X-rays of pulmonary fibrosis—not Mette-Marit’s—the doctors explained how the disease progresses in many patients.

Are Holm explains at what point, in the case of pulmonary fibrosis, a transplant is the only option.(Bild: EPA/Lise Aserud)

“The only solution is a transplant”
While there are medications that could slow the progression of the disease, a lung transplant is now the only way to save Mette-Marit’s life in the long term.

However: “A lot of things have to go right for the right organ to be found for the right patient,” Holm explained.

A suitable donor lung could come not only from Norway, but also from other Scandinavian or European countries. However, no one can predict when a suitable organ will be found.

Mette-Marit wore a breathing tube during her appearance on National Day(Bild: APA-Images / Action Press / Dutch Press Photo Agency)

Doctors offer hope regarding the waiting time
Despite the dramatic diagnosis, there is at least one piece of good news. While in the past up to 20 percent of patients died before they could even undergo a transplant, waiting lists have since become significantly shorter. The current waiting times are comparatively short, the doctors emphasized.

Nevertheless, a strict rule now applies to Mette-Marit: She must be reachable at all times and is not allowed to leave the country. As soon as a suitable donor lung is found, she must be taken to the hospital immediately.

Risky Open-Chest Surgery
The doctors also spoke unusually openly about the risks of the upcoming surgery. Heart and lung surgeon Arnt Fiane explained that the procedure would be performed under general anesthesia and could take several hours.

“The heart is stopped. The diseased lungs are removed. That may be the most difficult phase of the entire operation,” said the expert. The surgery normally takes between three and five hours. A prolonged stay in the intensive care unit is required afterward.

Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.(Bild: PPS/www.PPS.at)

The numbers are alarming
But even a successful transplant does not mean the all-clear. According to doctors, about one in eight patients dies within the first year after a lung transplant. After five years, only about half of those affected are still alive. Ten years after the procedure, around 55 percent of patients are still alive.

Holm also emphasized: “Behind every transplant lies a tragedy. A person has died.” Behind every organ donation lies another story. 

For Mette-Marit and her family, the most difficult wait of their lives is now beginning. Every phone call could be the decisive one—the call that gives her a new chance at life.

Crown Prince Haakon is cutting his travel plans short to spend as much time as possible with his wife.(Bild: AFP/LISE ASERUD)

Daughter moves her studies to Oslo
Their daughter, Princess Ingrid-Alexandra, has put her studies on hold, and it has already been confirmed that she will study in Oslo during the fall semester. According to the royal court, her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus (20), is set to study at a university in Europe starting this fall as planned. However, he intends to return home if “the situation requires it.”

According to the royal court, Crown Prince Haakon (52) will limit long trips from now on in order to be with his wife. The grand celebration of the couple’s silver wedding anniversary (25th wedding anniversary)—they were married on August 25, 2001—has been canceled for now and postponed to a later date. 

Mette-Marit’s daughter has put her studies in Australia on hold for now and will continue her studies in Oslo so she can be with her mother.(Bild: Lise Åserud / NTB / picturedesk.com)

Another difficult date cannot be postponed: On June 15, the court verdict regarding Marius Hoiby, the Crown Princess’s eldest son from a previous relationship, will be announced. He was charged with 40 criminal offenses during the trial. His attempt to be released from pretrial detention by then was denied on Friday.