ROCHESTER, Minn. — More than 90,000 people are on the waiting list for a kidney in the U.S. Unfortunately, less than a third of those waiting for a kidney transplant can expect to get one this year. This comes as rates of chronic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure, continue to climb across the globe. But there is a way to help. Healthy people can donate one of their kidneys, giving someone a much-needed second chance.

"For people with kidney failure, receiving a kidney from a living donor is the best possible option. When healthy people donate a kidney, they give someone a second chance. This helps kidney recipients get transplanted faster and enjoy a healthier life," says Carrie Jadlowiec, M.D., Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon.

There were more than 6,400 living kidney donations in 2024. And while the number has increased in recent years, it is still less than it was five years ago. Ahead of World Kidney Day on March 13, Mayo Clinic experts are helping dispel some of the most common myths surrounding living kidney donation.

Myth: Living kidney donors need to be in perfect health.

False. While it is important for kidney donors to generally be in good health, there is no expectation that donors be in perfect health. For example, some potential donors with controlled high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes are eligible to be donors. All potential donors need to be at least 18 and undergo a rigorous medical and psychological evaluation to make sure they are a good candidate to donate. At Mayo Clinic, those evaluations can be completed in a single day.

Myth: Anyone over age 50 can't be a living donor.

False. Plenty of people over 50 are living donors.

"We accept donors starting at age 18. There is no upper age limit for someone to be a kidney donor. We do a comprehensive assessment on all potential donors, regardless of their age, to make sure they are an appropriate candidate," says Ty Diwan, M.D., Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon.

Myth: You must be related to someone to be a match.

False. Anyone can be a living kidney donor. You can consider donating a kidney to a relative, friend, acquaintance or anonymously to someone on the waiting list. Sometimes a potential donor who wants to give to a family member or a friend isn't an optimal match for that recipient. In those situations, paired donation is considered. Donors and recipients are matched with other donors and recipients, creating what is known as a kidney chain. People without a specific recipient in mind can also choose to donate to a stranger via nondirected donation.

Myth: Kidney donors can't live an active lifestyle after donation.

False. In most cases, kidney donors can return to normal activities four to six weeks after surgery. Most donors undergo a laparoscopic procedure that involves making a few small incisions instead of a larger one. In some cases, minimally robotic surgery is also an option. Both types of surgery reduce recovery time. Many donors return to their pre-donation hobbies such as running, biking and swimming. As with any surgery, there are risks, and it is important for potential donors to discuss those with their healthcare team.

Myth: Donating a kidney shortens your lifespan.

False. Multiple studies have shown that donating a kidney does not shorten one's lifespan. In fact, kidney donors tend to live longer than the general population.

"Kidney donors undergo rigorous screening prior to donation, and those accepted as donors are often healthier than the general population at baseline. These individuals often continue to live healthy lifestyles post-donation, which can lead to a longer lifespan," says Shennen Mao, M.D., Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon.

Mayo Clinic has several transplant physicians who can talk about living kidney donation, including:

• Ty Diwan, M.D., a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester
• Carrie Jadlowiec, M.D., a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Arizona
• Shennen Mao, M.D., a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Florida

###

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Heather Carlson Kehren, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Additional resources:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: What to expect as a living kidney donor

The post Experts bust 5 myths about living kidney donation appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Dr. Carrie Jadlowiec, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, says a living-donor kidney transplant has benefits for organ recipients, including better survival rates.

Who is eligible to become a donor and what can you expect? Learn more in this Mayo Clinic Minute.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (:59) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"As long as you're healthy and have good kidney function, then you could potentially qualify to be a kidney donor," says Dr. Jadlowiec.

It starts with a thorough medical evaluation.

"That gives us a good sense of where we're starting, and then it also allows us to better predict where will your kidney function be at in five years and 10 years after you donate," she says.

Risks

Both surgical and medical risks are low, thanks to advanced technology.

"For all kidney donors, that risk is less than 1%, which is what we see within the general population," says Dr. Jadlowiec.

It's a minimally invasive surgery. "Meaning that we do it through small incisions, which helps with faster recovery," she says.

Full recovery can take up to six weeks, but many people start feeling better around three weeks after surgery.

"The biggest benefit is the ability to help someone and to really change their life," Dr. Jadlowiec says.

Related posts:

• Mayo Clinic Q and A: Living kidney donation can start a chain reaction
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Why diverse organ donors are needed

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: What to expect as a living kidney donor appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Researchers are pioneering innovative ways to restore voice to those who have lost it, leveraging advancements in transplant surgery and 3D printing. Discover these groundbreaking developments in the latest episode of Tomorrow's Cure.

Dr. David Lott, associate director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, joins his mentor, Dr. Marshall Strome, an otolaryngologist, professor, and chair emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute, to share their insights as leaders at the forefront of this transformative research.

On Feb. 29, 2024, Dr. Lott, joined by Dr. Strome, led a multidisciplinary team in performing a groundbreaking larynx transplant for Marty Kedian, a Mayo Clinic patient. The procedure at Mayo Clinic in Arizona was the third known larynx transplant in the U.S. and first for a patient with active cancer as part of a clinical trial. The surgery offers new hope to individuals who have experienced severe laryngeal dysfunction or complete larynx loss.

Dr. Lott emphasizes the critical role of the larynx in daily life. "It allows us to swallow, eat, drink — all the things that we do on a day-to-day basis — breathe, get air into our lungs, and, perhaps most importantly, allows us to communicate and share a voice," he says.

The larynx transplant surgery is a pivotal advancement in making this rare procedure a scientifically validated, safe and effective option for patients.

Marty stresses the importance of the surgery, and he explains why he chose to undergo the procedure. "My reason of pushing this type of surgery, a total transplant, is because I know how it is not to have my voice and then to get it back. Not having a voice hurts. Having it back, life is beautiful," he says.

"The larynx has different meanings to different people," says Dr. Strome. "But it's clearly, very clearly, an organ that when you don't have it, alters your life in a way that most people would not choose."

Researchers are continually advancing innovative solutions to personalize transplants and implants, customizing them to meet the unique needs of each patient. The goal is to address the shortage of donor organs and reduce the reliance on lifelong anti-rejection medications. Among these advancements is the use of 3D bioprinting, which offers expanded options for both patients and surgeons, transforming the future of transplantation.

To learn more about these transformative advancements, listen to the latest episode of Tomorrow's Cure. The podcast is available on all audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. Episodes also can be viewed on Mayo Clinic's YouTube channel.

Related Articles:

Breaking the silence: First known total larynx transplant on a patient with active cancer as part of landmark clinical trial

Mayo Clinic marks medical milestone with world's first known successful total larynx transplant performed in a patient with an active cancer as part of a clinical trial

Paving the way for future larynx transplants through regenerative science

Research prepares for Mayo's first larynx transplant

The post Tomorrow’s Cure: Groundbreaking advancements in larynx transplant appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Dr. Andrew Keaveny, a Mayo Clinic transplant hepatologist, says heavy drinking also can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, which is becoming more common in younger people.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:09) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"Alcohol can cause liver damage. And in some individuals who drink excessively, it can result in significant complications," says Dr. Keaveny.

Sustained alcohol use can result in alcohol-related liver disease.

"There is a condition called acute alcoholic hepatitis, where the alcohol triggers an acute inflammatory process in the liver, and patients can become really quite sick, quite quickly," he says.

And it's rising among young people.

"Some of the more tragic cases of liver disease related to alcohol received now are due to young individuals who consume excessively, or binge alcohol," says Dr. Keaveny.

Alcoholic hepatitis can develop quickly. Symptoms can include jaundice, confusion, nausea and vomiting.

"They can present with multiple complications of their liver disease, which requires really a multidisciplinary approach to address and manage their issues," he says.

Treating alcoholic hepatitis requires an assessment of liver damage and complications, and addressing the patient's alcohol use disorder. Dr. Keaveny says corticosteroids may be used, but they have limited effectiveness and risks. The next step may be transplant.

"We consider patients for liver transplantation who have acute alcoholic hepatitis. This requires a very careful assessment of multiple factors, their medical, social and psychological factors, to determine whether they may be eligible for liver transplantation," Dr. Keaveny says.

Living with alcoholic hepatitis?

Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Transplants Support Group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online patient community.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: How alcohol affects your liver appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

This dual procedure is especially helpful for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. MASLD happens when fat builds up in the liver, often without symptoms. It's mostly caused by obesity — defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. In advanced stages, MASLD can lead to serious liver damage that requires a transplant.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (01:09) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"Metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease is the most common liver disease, not only in the United States but worldwide," says Dr. Heimbach.

As obesity rates rise, so does the need to treat patients with MASLD.

"When we have excess fat that builds up in the liver, this can lead to inflammation and scarring and even advanced liver disease," she says.

It won't cause complications for everyone, but, for some, it can progress to cirrhosis.

"When a patient develops cirrhosis, they can then need a liver transplant," Dr. Heimbach says.

And having extra weight can be a reason patients might not be eligible for transplant. At Mayo Clinic, the approach is to help patients with obesity as well as transplant.

"We consider both liver transplant and what's called a sleeve gastrectomy, which is a type of weight-loss operation that can be used as a tool to help patients be successful in managing not only their liver disease with a liver transplant, but their obesity with the sleeve gastrectomy," Dr. Heimbach explains.

The procedures are done simultaneously with multiple teams working together. Dr. Heimbach says it's about providing patients the care they need.

"I'm excited about what transplant offers to all of our patients, which is to be able to return to the life that they had before they got sick. And for patients who were carrying extra weight, not only are they healthy again, but now they're able to really fully enjoy and be fully participating in their life," she says.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Dual procedure combines liver transplant, bariatric surgery appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've signed up on my driver's license to be an organ donor if I die. It's important to me. I've also considered being a living kidney donor. I don't personally know someone who needs a kidney, but I've seen billboards and other advertisements from people seeking a kidney donor. Does that have something to do with a donor chain? I am not sure how it works. I'm a little scared and not quite ready to commit. 

ANSWER: First, thank you for considering making a difference in the lives of others with the gift of life through transplant. Participating in your state donor registry or the National Donate Life Registry helps people make their wishes about organ donation known in case of their death.

Living-donor transplantation is an option for some organs. For people over 18 born with two functioning kidneys, they can donate one and continue to live a healthy life. An altruistic living-donor kidney transplant chain begins when someone donates a kidney without a specific individual in mind. That can start a chain effect of donors. 

Another way to begin a chain is if a person intends to donate to a family member or friend, but they aren't a direct match. Instead, the person donates to someone else who is a match, and that individual's donor then donates either to the original intended recipient or starts a chain effect of individuals whose donors aren't necessarily a direct match to them, allowing many people to get transplanted.

There's no limit on the chain. It can occur within one transplant program or at multiple transplant programs. In fact, we've had chains that have involved the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center at our three campuses in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix; as well as at several institutions around the country.

Kidney function is necessary to live. These two bean-shaped organs remove waste from the blood by producing urine. They play a role in controlling blood pressure, fluid balance, red blood cell counts and more. Living with one healthy kidney is possible, making living kidney donation an option.

What I always tell potential donors is that coming forward as a potential donor is a commitment to find out information; it's not a commitment to donate. You can come forward, learn a little bit and decide it may not be for you.

Learning more about the living organ donor process often helps calm people's concerns. While any medical procedure has risks, you should know we expect living donors to live a completely normal life after donation with no restrictions in terms of activities or diet. Typically, donors have a short stay in the hospital, about a day or two. The recovery period is six to eight weeks, but donors often feel back to normal within one to two weeks after donation. 

Potential donors go through an evaluation online with a basic screening and health questionnaire. Then a donor coordinator contacts you to discuss. If you decide to pursue donation and are a potential candidate, further medical evaluation is done. 

The more people we bring into the donor candidate pool, the more benefit to everyone who is waiting for a kidney transplant. We encourage people to reach out among their community members to ensure we have equal opportunity and equal access of living donation to everyone who might need a donor.

The biggest thing I would say is thank you to all of our donor heroes — the deceased donors and their family members and our living-donor heroes who inspire us to do what we do every day. — Shennen Mao, M.D., Transplant Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Living kidney donation can start a chain reaction appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Editor's note: January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

When it comes to healthcare screening, different healthcare guideline organizations may have different recommendations. The same is true for cervical cancer screening.

Cervical cancer is almost always caused by a persistent infection with high-risk strains of HPV. Routine screening has dramatically reduced cervical cancer deaths, and regular screenings are essential because early detection makes precancer treatment more effective.

Dr. Kathy MacLaughlin, a Mayo Clinic family physician specializing in cervical cancer prevention, says Mayo Clinic follows U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations.

"They recommend screening for 21- to 65-year-olds, either with a Pap smear every three years or, starting at age 30, the Pap/HPV co-test, or the primary HPV test every five years," she says.

Starting February 5, Mayo Clinic practices in the Midwest will offer a FDA-approved self-collection HPV test to help reduce barriers to screening. This service will later expand to Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Mayo Clinic in Florida. 

Watch: Dr. Kathy MacLaughlin talks about screening for cervical cancer

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites are available in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Name super/CG: Kathy MacLaughlin, M.D./Family Medicine/Mayo Clinic.

For women ages 21–65, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations are:

• Screening for cervical cancer every three years with cervical cytology alone in women aged 21 to 29 years.
• For women aged 30 to 65, screening every three years with cervical cytology alone, every five years with high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing alone, or every five years with hrHPV testing combined with cytology (co-testing).
  

Dr. MacLaughlin says the current guidelines suggest that after age 65, if you've had past negative/normal screening, particularly important in the prior 10 years, it's OK for most people to stop screening, but that might not always be the case.

"People who have previously had precancers (CIN-2 or CIN-3) treated with a procedure called LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) should not stop screening. If someone is immunocompromised or has had cervical cancer, they should not stop screening. Or if they've had in utero DES (diethylstilbestrol) exposure, they should not stop screening. To exit screening after age 65, there should be none of those risk factors. And then you also need 10 years of either three negative Paps or two negative HPV tests to say, yes, you are done," she says.

If you're unsure if you should be screened, consult your healthcare team to determine what's best for you.

Risk and prevention for cervical cancer

"Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus infection, or HPV, is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers. Anyone with a cervix who is sexually active is at risk, particularly if they haven't had the HPV vaccine series," says Dr. MacLaughlin.

Along with HPV, other risk factors for cervical cancer include:

• Smoking tobacco
• Lack of screening
• Multiple sexual partners

Preventing cervical cancer involves three steps:

• HPV vaccination is most effective if given to preteens/teens (females and males), but it is routinely recommended for all 9-26-year-olds and available through a shared decision-making discussion with your clinician for 27-45-year-olds (females and males). 
• Get screened at recommended intervals. 
• Appropriate management of abnormal screening results.  

What happens with your HPV self-collection results?

Dr. MacLaughlin says about 85%-90% of people will test negative or not have HPV. They will be advised to have repeat testing in three years — though that could change with future guideline updates to five-year interval screening. 

However, for those with positive HPV test results, further testing will be needed. 

Different types of high-risk HPV are being screened for, she says.

"HPV 16 and HPV 18 are the highest of the high risk. They cause 70% of cervical cancers. If either of those is found on the HPV self-collection test, the patient will need a referral to colposcopy, which is an outpatient procedure where the cervix is looked at under a microscope," says Dr. MacLaughlin. "Some small biopsies might be taken from the cervical tissue to ensure that there's not precancer."

Dr. MacLaughlin explains that if other types of HPV are found on the self-collection test (not HPV 16, not HPV 18), the patient will need to return to the clinic for a Pap test to complete their cervical cancer screening, as that information is necessary to guide the next steps. She says there is a difference from a clinician-collected cervical sample for HPV testing because the lab can add a Pap test to the sample of cervical cells but cannot run a Pap test on vaginal samples. This is expected to happen about 10% of the time. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is updating its recommendations. In its draft recommendation statement, it endorses the HPV self-collection option for people aged 30 to 65.

Related resources:

• Improving cervical cancer screening with HPV self-collection tests
• Mayo Clinic Q&A: What to know about cervical cancer
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Why Black women need to be screened for cervical cancer
  
  

The post (VIDEO) Who should get screened for cervical cancer, and when? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

At birth, Beckett Hoggarth Beyer appeared to be a healthy newborn baby boy, growing and changing like a typical infant. But when his aunt — a physician — visited their home near Fargo, North Dakota, she noticed something was not right. Beckett's stools were light in color, and his skin tone was slightly more olive-toned than expected.

Beckett's parents, Tracie Hoggarth and Ron Beyer, took him to his pediatrician. Blood tests revealed elevated liver enzymes, which often indicate inflammation or damage to liver cells.

To find out more about the cause of Beckett's symptoms, the family traveled to Minneapolis to see a pediatric gastroenterologist. At just eight weeks of age, fearing Beckett had biliary atresia — the most common condition associated with his symptoms at this age — they pursued advanced care to investigate the cause of his liver disease. 

For the next 13 years, Beckett's care was managed by a few teams of gastroenterologists in Minneapolis.

After several rounds of genetic testing, they discovered that his liver disease was caused by Alagille syndrome. This rare genetic disease affected his liver and bile ducts by reducing bile flow out of the liver and causing jaundice, which is the darkening and yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. This bile buildup in the liver damages cells, eventually leading to liver failure.

Alagille syndrome can affect the liver, heart, kidneys, skeleton, eyes and blood vessels. Complications of the syndrome may be life-threatening. Fortunately, Beckett's form of Alagille syndrome only affects his liver.

Living with liver disease  

Beckett is a mechanically inclined 14-year-old who likes lawn mowers, riding four-wheelers, and repairing and driving RC cars. But his liver disease was throwing a wrench in his health and keeping him from doing all the activities he enjoys.

For several years, he had a mass growing in his liver that eventually grew to 10 by 13 centimeters in size. "For three years, they monitored it via ultrasound and secondary conditions from his liver disease with endoscopy, which is how we learned his disease was advancing," recalls Tracie. “When they performed an updated biopsy on his liver, they learned he had advanced cirrhosis.” Cirrhosis is severe scarring of the liver, which makes it difficult for the liver to do its job.

Given a liver transplant was becoming a likely future necessity, Beckett’s family wanted the best for their son — so they sought the medical expertise of Mayo Clinic. 

In November 2023, Beckett had an initial consultation and testing at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The care team at Mayo Clinic recommended that Beckett be put on the liver transplant list before he became more ill.

With stage 4 liver cirrhosis and a tremendously enlarged spleen, Beckett dealt with difficulty breathing due to his firm liver pressing against his diaphragm. Not only did he have a distended belly and chronic back pain from his liver disease and his enlarged spleen, but low platelet count put him at an increased risk of bleeding.

He had a yellow cast to his skin and was in end-stage liver disease — things that had just become normal for him. But his blood tests showed he was on the cusp of crisis.

The request to put Beckett on the transplant list was approved, and he was placed on the list in mid-February. During appointments with the liver transplant team, Beckett shared, "Maybe I'll get a liver by my birthday."

His birthday on April 1 was quickly approaching, and getting a liver often takes months, so getting his birthday wish seemed unlikely.

The call that changed everything

Eleven days after Beckett officially went on the transplant list, Ron received a call from a Minnesota phone number.

"It'd only been a couple of weeks since we were in Rochester, and I thought maybe Mayo Clinic needed more information or was calling about another test," recalls Ron.

But the care team had something else in mind — a liver for Beckett.

The family had eight hours to get from North Dakota to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Ron called Tracie home from work. He called the school to let them know a liver was available for Beckett and to send Beckett and his sister home immediately.

When the call came in, Beckett was in history class. "The teacher was about to start teaching, but then they said, 'Beckett, you can head to the office.' And I'm like, what for? I didn't think I was in trouble," Beckett says.

Rather than being in trouble, Beckett soon learned that he was in luck.

Out with the old, in with the new

Dr. Timucin Taner, a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic, performed Beckett's transplant on March 13 — just two weeks before his birthday.

"The only treatment for patients with cirrhosis is a liver transplant. Cirrhosis is a chronic disease that does not get better with other treatments," notes Dr. Taner. "Beckett needed a new liver, without any doubt. Without a transplant, Beckett would have continued to have jaundice, and his fatigue and other symptoms would have continued to get worse."

“I remember it vividly,” Tracie says. “I was astonished and grateful for the surgeon. Dr. Taner even took the time to wheel Beckett in his hospital bed down to the surgical suite.”

After hours of tenuous waiting, the transplant was a success. The transformation was noticeable. The night before the transplant, Beckett's eyes were yellow-tinted, but the morning after the transplant, they were already white, recalls Tracie.

Beckett recovered in the pediatric intensive care unit at Mayo Clinic for the next 10 days.

"I got the power-reclining bed with the remote and all the warm sheets I needed," says Beckett.

Visits from a Caring Equine miniature pony named Munchkin and a pet therapy dog named Benny Burrito were highlights of his stay.

"He was kind of sad to get discharged. He was getting like a five-star hotel experience," laughs Tracie. "It says volumes about the care they got when somebody is sad to get discharged."

Beckett and his parents note that all the staff they encountered were exceptionally kind and professional. The entire team — the pediatric intensive care unit doctors, his gastroenterologists, the nurses and the support staff — cared about Beckett and his journey.

Loving his new liver

Since getting the transplant, Beckett can go on long walks. He has more energy, can breathe much better and has less back pain.

"I would get winded just walking, and I couldn't play football or participate in contact sports," says Beckett when thinking back to life before his transplant. "I felt stuffy after I drank or ate a lot. And then when I had my transplant, it felt like I had a lot more space."

Beckett's medication regimen has significantly improved. Previously, he endured a challenging schedule with many daily pills, a bitter-tasting oral medication and daily self-administered injections. Now, he takes a set of pills in the morning and early evening.

Dr. Samar Ibrahim, a pediatric transplant hepatologist at Mayo Clinic, manages Beckett's ongoing care. Dr. Ibrahim routinely monitors Beckett's medication regimen and watches for signs of rejection or infection in his lab work.

"Beckett's new liver is functioning normally, so his symptoms of end-stage liver disease are gone," says Dr. Ibrahim. "He will get to live his life like any other teen and celebrate many more birthdays."

For Beckett and his family, receiving a new liver was the best birthday gift they could have imagined. "When he got the liver before his birthday, we were astonished," says Tracie. "We will be eternally grateful for that."

The post Beckett gets a lifesaving birthday gift appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Mayo Clinic surgeons recently performed 10 organ transplants within 24 hours, setting a record for both the hospital and the state of Arizona.

On Nov. 19, Mayo Clinic teams worked around the clock to complete seven kidney transplants and three liver transplants. Transplant center colleagues rose to the challenge with one goal in mind: Saving as many lives as possible, says Bashar Aqel, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic Transplant Center in Arizona.

"Ten people received a second chance at life in a single day," Dr. Aqel says. "This milestone would not have been possible without the generous gift of organ donation, advances in technology and the dedication of our highly specialized team."

Heading into the record-setting day, three living-donor kidney transplants were already scheduled. But by evening, the team realized the magnitude of the day ahead of them as precious organs continued to become available. Organ perfusion devices proved critical, enabling the livers and some of the kidneys to be kept viable outside the donor's body for a longer period of time prior to transplant. The team also had to overcome logistical hurdles, ensuring enough operating room space was available to perform all the surgeries.

"Every day, an estimated 17 people die waiting for an organ transplant," Dr. Aqel says. "We are doing what we can to try to reverse that trend with innovation and organ perfusion to save more lives."

John Churan is among the 10 patients celebrating a second chance — one he never thought he would get. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 16 years ago, and when his kidney began to fail in 2020, his diagnosis appeared grim. But thanks to a stem cell treatment at Mayo Clinic, he went into full remission from the cancer, and he was eligible for a kidney transplant. His wife of 36 years, Julia Churan, stepped forward to donate her kidney and was a match.

"I would not be here without Mayo Clinic," John Churan says. "I am so grateful for the care I have received and the incredible gift my wife has given me."

###

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Heather Carlson Kehren, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post 10 patients receive the ultimate gift in a single day at Mayo Clinic appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Joshua Abelson, a 63-year-old aviation sales and supply chain professional, has faced numerous health challenges with remarkable resilience. Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Joshua now resides in Jacksonville, Florida, where he continues to inspire others with his story.

Joshua's transplant journey began in 2009 when he first noticed symptoms that led to a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD), specifically pulmonary fibrosis, after numerous X-rays and scans. This diagnosis marked the start of a long and arduous battle with his health.

After his initial diagnosis, Joshua says, "Nothing really changed, and I was living my normal life, traveling the world for business, playing golf regularly and taking my wife dancing."

In 2016, Joshua experienced a spontaneous pneumothorax in his left lung, which required a 10-day hospital stay to reinflate and stabilize his lung. The incident was a significant setback, but Joshua's determination never wavered. "After that, I resumed my normal activities again," he says.

Early 2020 brought another challenge when Joshua and several colleagues fell ill after a business trip to China. "I got sick, and while we weren't testing for COVID-19 yet, I believe I may have had it," he says. The illness further compromised his already fragile lungs. "After that, my lung function began decreasing, and I found I could not fly without supplemental oxygen," he says.

In mid-2021, Joshua suffered a gallbladder attack and was hospitalized again. During this time, he was diagnosed with COVID-19, which further deteriorated his lung function, leading him to regularly rely on portable oxygen.

Despite those setbacks, Joshua and his wife moved to Jacksonville in late November 2023 for work. However, during a holiday visit to Texas in December 2023, he contracted pneumonia and spent several days in a Texas hospital.

Upon arriving back to Jacksonville, he made the decision to seek care at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Living in Jacksonville, we knew we had two potential choices," says Joshua. "After doing our research and praying about it, we chose Mayo. I had my initial consultations. Everyone agreed I was a candidate, and the evaluation process started." After a thorough evaluation, he was added to the lung transplant waitlist.

"We feel that a patient's quality of life will improve significantly after transplant," says Dr. Maher Baz, division chair of Lung Failure and Transplantation at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Because they're no longer on oxygen, they can be out and about, they can walk farther, they can go vacations and improve their survival."

Joshua received his lung transplant in August 2024. The lungs he received underwent ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) technology in which donor lungs are flushed and ventilated while being monitored in isolation. This process allows transplant programs to reevaluate lungs that would otherwise have been discarded. In collaboration with United Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic in Florida introduced EVLP to its campus in 2019.

"We have something called ex vivo lung perfusion, or EVLP," says Dr. Baz. "It is a setup where we put the donated lungs on a breathing machine and we circulate fluid in them. We test them for about three to four hours to make sure that they are good lungs. And that has increased our yield for transplantation. The benefit to the patient is a shorter waiting time because now we are identifying organs at a higher rate by using EVLP."

Today, Joshua's health has improved, and he dedicates his time to promoting organ donation awareness and supporting others on similar transplant journeys. "I feel great, and I am incredibly blessed," says Joshua. "I am in an international Facebook support group for patients and caregivers, so I have heard many stories of people who have had, and continue to have, issues from their transplant, meds and underlying conditions. I have not had any setbacks at this point. I think it's important to stress the need for prehab and rehab. Mayo provided a great opportunity for me to do both, which got me in the best shape possible before my transplant and made my recovery easier."

His story is a testament to the power of resilience and the importance of organ donation. Joshua's journey continues to inspire and offer hope to others facing similar health challenges. "I contacted Donate Life Florida and have now become a registered volunteer to promote organ donation awareness," he says.

The post A journey of resilience and hope appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.