Medical science is touching new heights each day. Making animal-to-human organ transplants a reality is a massive achievement in the field. This man is recovering well and is living healthily as he chose to go the odd way – living with a pig kidney! Here’s the story of a successful xenotransplantation.
Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old man from New Hampshire, has made a name in the medical field for becoming the second person known to live with a pig kidney. He has received this transplant after months of highly experimental pilot studies at the Massachusets General Hospital. Andrews is now free of dialysis and he was seen happily walking out of the hospital days after the transplant.
In the case of Andrews, finding a matching human kidney for transplant could have taken around 7 years or even more. The patient had been struggling for the past 2 years with kidney failure, diabetes, dialysis complications, and heart issues as he was eagerly waiting for a matching kidney. Over this period, the chances of his survival were quite slim. Eventually, he had to give up on his wait for a human organ match, and he willingly opted for the experimental pig kidney transplant.
To qualify for the treatment, Andrews had to undergo extensive approaches to become healthier. He focused on his fitness and incorporated disciplined physical therapy to lose 30 pounds to get ready for the transplant. Upon receiving the animal’s kidney, it surprisingly started working immediately leaving the doctors pleased. The patient, too, mentioned that “When I woke up in the recovery room, I was a new man.” His body showed no signs of rejection to the organ as he started performing normal kidney functions like producing urine within no time.
In the past, cases of xenotransplantation have shown mixed results, particularly resulting in short-lived transplants. But the latest developments are making animal organs more compatible with humans. Hereafter, seeing cases like Andrews is a green flag and his recovery is a ray of hope for those who have slimmer chances of survival due to poor health or human organ shortages.
The 66-year-old Tim Andrews truly proved that ‘a will will find a way’.
