Murnaghan Family Desperate for Lung Transplant, 10-Year-Old Daughter with Cystic Fibrosis (Video)

A 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl's fight for her life has been put on hold when she was denied a lung transplant.

Sarah Mumaghan would be at the top of the list to receive the transplant, which she needs as a cure for her cystic fibrosis. However, the age requirements for the transplant are 12 and up, according to Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

This has sparked controversy among Murnaghan's family, who are working to save the little girl. Sarah's father, Fran Mumaghan, is upset and distraught by Health and Human Services' Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding the child transplant policies, and her decision to do "not much of anything," he said, via ABC News.

Without new lungs, her doctors caution that she might not reach her next birthday.

"Sarah is being left to die," Murnaghan said, according to ABC News. "Not only Sarah, but there are many other children in the same situation."

Unfortunately, for the Murnaghan family, they are fighting for Sarah to receive an adult lung when guidelines show that the same organ is offered first to all adults on a waiting list before it can be offered to someone under 12 years of age.

The Associated Press reports that, according to a letter sent Friday to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, Sebelius asked for the review to consider changing the policy to make more transplants available to children.

"Our heart goes out to any family that is dealing with a loved one who is on a waiting list for an organ transplant," said a statement from the organization, via CNN. "Given the significant disparity in the number of transplantable organs to the number of people in need of an organ, (the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network) has regulations and policies to ensure that decisions are based on the best medical science and the most equitable process in a very difficult situation."

According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, there were only 11 lung donors between 6 and 10 years old. And in 2012, only two lung transplants have been found in that age group.

Pediatric Specialist at Beaumont Children's Hospital in Michigan Dr. Devang Doshi notes via ABC News that patients with cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that greatly damages the lungs, only have an average life expectancy of 31 years.

Yet, with a lung transplant, a cure is possible, according to Doshi.

Want to meet Sarah? Check out this video, courtesy of NBC.