I’ll never forget the morning of my college graduation. And not because I was excited to celebrate my four years of education, but because I received some of the most shocking and devastating news: my brother—who had gone to the doctor for routine bloodwork—was in end-stage kidney failure.
The following few months were like a fever dream/nightmare as my family scrambled to understand the cause and severity of my brother’s condition, which happened to be an autoimmune disease. Eventually, we learned he would need a kidney transplant—and soon. After weeks of testing, we found out my mom was a match and could donate to him. Quickly, they were able to schedule the procedure and save his life.
But not everyone is as lucky as my brother was. In fact, 5,600 Americans die every year waiting for an organ transplant. The humans behind those numbers are mothers, brothers, children, aunts, nephews, lovers, and friends.
Now, experts are seeking alternatives to human organ transplants—and they’re making serious strides.
Alabama Woman Receives Pig Kidney Transplant
Towana Looney of Alabama was one of the first people to receive a pig kidney transplant. While she was waiting for her one-in-a-million match, her doctor, Jayme Locke, asked her if she wanted to consider participating in an experimental transplant procedure.
“I didn’t let her get it all the way out of her mouth and I said, ‘Yes ma’am,’” Looney, 53, told NYU Langone Health.
The Alabama woman had already spent eight years on dialysis and five years waiting for a human donor match that never came.
So, Looney agreed to have her surgery on November 25 at NYU Langone in New York City. Ten days after the procedure, she returned home—but she has been and will continue to be monitored by doctors in the following weeks.
Eventually, surgeons hope to use pig organs as normal alternatives to human organs—especially when human donor matches are unavailable.
“This could completely change the math of end-organ failure and what that means in terms of the likelihood of getting a transplant,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery, Looney’s surgeon.
Montgomery himself had received a heart transplant, and while waiting for it, he had a 50-50 chance of surviving long enough to receive the organ.
“Xenotransplantation is about eliminating that gamble,” he said, per USA Today.
According to Dr. Locke, once the kidney was transplanted, “it functioned essentially exactly like a kidney from a living donor,” which is a hopeful tidbit of information.
“I want to give courage to those out there on dialysis—I know it’s not easy,” Looney said. “And it’s not the only option. There’s hope.”
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