It could be the longest wait they’ll ever know. Over 11,000 liver transplants were performed last year in the US, while thousands more patients remained in limbo. Others dropped off the waitlist because they got too sick — and an estimated 2,000 died waiting. Now, a UK-based biotech company aims to make liver transplants — … Read more
Critical care nurse Janet Kerrigan was stunned to discover in 2011 that she had multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, and she only had a year or two to live. A crucial stem cell transplant in 2012 prolonged her life — but her private insurance carrier stuck her with 20% of the nearly million-dollar tab. … Read more
This man got the ultimate Delta upgrade. Bruce Gamble spent much of his career as a consultant for car dealerships, flying in and out of Birmingham, Alabama. Gamble never imagined that the rapport he built with the Delta Airlines crew, like part-time staffer Jill Hickey, throughout the years would one day change his life. Gamble … Read more
Tumer-sick. Looking for relief for joint pain and after hearing social media influencers tout the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric, a New Jersey woman began taking the spice in a daily supplement. Weeks later, Katie Mohan was beset with symptoms of nausea and exhaustion, and despite maintaining healthy hydration levels, she noticed her urine was considerably … Read more
People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV under a new rule announced Tuesday by US health officials. Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule, which takes effect Wednesday, is expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, … Read more
Cheryl Mehrkar was an “adrenaline junkie” who relished being a scuba divemaster and riding her 2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster in North Carolina, Maine, and near her home in Dutchess County. She had also achieved a fourth-degree karate black belt and dabbled in skydiving and bungee jumping. Now, Mehrkar has a new feat for her unusual résumé … Read more
Rapamycin is a naturally occurring compound primarily used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. It’s also considered a promising anti-aging drug among longevity seekers. Rapamycin has been trending on social media, where biohackers like Dr. Peter Attia and Bryan Johnson tout it as the “gold standard” for people seeking to live a longer, healthier life. … Read more
Ezra Toczek, 5, got more than a gold star from his preschool teacher — he received a liver. The young child was put on the transplant list in February after being diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, and subsequent liver failure, as a result of damage to the organ suffered at birth. But in March, his former … Read more
The heart wants what the heart wants…regardless of whose chest it beats within. Recent research has found further correlation between organ transplant surgery and personality changes. In a study published in Transplantology, researchers at the University of Colorado (CU) had 47 participants (23 heart recipients and 24 other organ recipients) complete an online survey detailing their … Read more
He was a good friend to have in his pocket. A Pennsylvania man who once blasted his pool rival in a bitter Facebook post handed his competitor the ultimate apology by giving him the “Cadillac of kidneys” a decade later. Russ Redhead discovered James Harris Jr. desperately needed a kidney while competing at a pool … Read more
A Missouri man whose organs shut down due to his 10-year vaping habit was saved in an unconventional way — by getting outfitted with breast implants. “I thought it was awesome, kind of funny,” Davey Bauer, 34, told CBS News of the unorthodox operation, which went down in May at Chicago’s Northwestern Medical Center. “He was … Read more
Earlier this year, inside an operating room in New York City, a man’s life was transformed. When a gruesome work accident occurred two years ago, electric lineman Aaron James received a deadly 7,200-volt shock as his face accidentally touched a live wire. James, 46, suffered massive injuries, including the loss of his left eye, his … Read more
Dozens of doctors and nurses silently lined the hospital hallway in tribute: For a history-making two months, a pig’s kidney worked normally inside the brain-dead man on the gurney rolling past them. The dramatic experiment came to an end Wednesday as surgeons at NYU Langone Health removed the pig kidney and returned the donated body … Read more
A Melbourne mom being denied a lifesaving transplant under a “no jab, no heart” policy has accused the hospital of “ideological” discrimination for refusing the COVID vaccine. Vicki Derderian, 47, has been on mechanical life support since 2020 after her heart failed and is desperate for a transplant, but The Alfred Hospital deemed her ineligible to be … Read more
These lifelong friendships turned into life-saving ones. Christine “Chris” Morales and Debbie Thompson say they have been best friends since they were young girls growing up in California — and have continued to stay close in the decades since. The two bonded during high school cheerleading practice, moved into their first adult apartment together and … Read more