Dr. Shennen Mao, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, offers advice on preparing patients for the lifesaving operations.

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Obesity often plays a significant role in a patient's transplant journey. Excess body weight can contribute to type 2 diabetes and hypertension, which can cause harm to vital organs.

"Obesity can also lead to worsening or progression of kidney failure and worse outcomes after either liver or kidney transplant,” says Dr. Mao.

She says it's important that healthcare professionals give patients the tools they need to manage obesity before undergoing liver and kidney transplant operations.

 "This could include medications, dietary counseling and, in some cases, partnership with our bariatric surgical colleagues to perform bariatric surgery either at the time of transplant or in preparation for transplant,” says Dr. Mao.

Injectable diet drugs are an option for some people, while others might opt for surgery.

“We typically recommend a sleeve gastrectomy, which is a restrictive procedure, meaning it limits the amount of food an individual can eat at one time,” she says.

Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet and exercising regularly can improve transplant outcomes.

Related Posts:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Why diverse organ donors are needed
• Innovative program enables patients who are obese to get kidney transplants
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Breaking barriers for patients who need kidney transplants

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At 27 years old, Shraddha Kalgutkar was told she had less than a year to live. Determined to prove everyone wrong, she turned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Now Shraddha is living proof of the power of innovation combined with a patient's will to survive.

Watch: Harnessing the power of innovation and a patient's will to survive

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Shraddha's Story

It was November 2022, just a month shy of her 28th birthday.

Shraddha was wrapping up another day at the medical clinic where she worked as an occupational therapist. Shraddha's job was to help patients regain the ability to perform day-to-day activities following a health challenge like a surgery.

Suddenly that afternoon, Shraddha became the patient who needed help.

"My co-worker looked at me and said, 'Why is your hand all purple and blue?'" Shraddha says. She admits she had been feeling exceptionally tired as of late, but attributed it to a thyroid condition.

Her co-worker checked Shraddha's vital signs and found her blood oxygen level was dangerously low. "I remember her saying, 'If this is right, you wouldn't even be standing.'" A repeat test showed the same result. "The next thing I remember was we were on our way to the hospital," says Shraddha.

At the hospital doctors began looking for the cause of Shraddha's low blood oxygen level. A series of tests traced Shraddha's condition all the way back to the day she was born.

"When I was born, doctors said I had fatty liver, but they didn't know why so they called it 'undiagnosed,'" says Shraddha. "The doctors thought it wouldn't be a problem because the liver has a tendency to heal itself." It didn't. Shraddha grew up seemingly in perfect health, unaware that her liver disease was silently doing damage to her body.

A little girl with a big dream

Shraddha was born in Mumbai, India which is often called the "City of Dreams." At a young age, Shraddha had big dreams of her own. She wanted to pursue a career in the medical field that would allow her to help others.

Every year Shraddha went to the doctor for her routine physical. Each time she was given a clean bill of health. "I used to do blood tests, but everything always looked good," says Shraddha. Still, the question of what caused her congenital liver condition lingered in her mind.

"I didn't have a family history of any liver condition. I've never had alcohol in my life," says Shraddha. "There was always a question mark. I needed to find out why this happened to me."

At 23, Shraddha became the first person in her family to leave India and go to the U.S. to attend college. She studied occupational therapy and got her master's degree at the University of Southern California. After college, Shraddha found her dream job at a medical clinic in California.

'You have less than a year to live'

All was going well until Shraddha began to noticed she was unusually tired. "When my sister came to visit she noticed I got tired after walking short distances. I went to the doctor and they thought maybe it was my thyroid," recalls Shraddha.

Then came the day her hands turned purple and her blood oxygen level mysteriously dropped. "My co-worker is a nurse so she got the oximeter and checked and it was 78%," says Shraddha. "And I was like, No, that's not possible because I wouldn't be alive." Shraddha's co-worker checked again, looked at the reading and said, "That's it, you have to go to the hospital."

A series of tests at the hospital revealed shocking results. Shraddha's liver condition had silently led to a more serious condition called hepatopulmonary syndrome.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome

Hepatopulmonary syndrome is caused when liver disease shunts blood away from the lungs preventing the body from getting the appropriate amount of oxygen. Doctors told Shraddha the only way she would survive is with a liver transplant. However, she says she was told her condition was so severe and the risk so high, that she would likely not survive a transplant.

She was denied the transplant and given less than a year to live.

"I told the doctors 'that just can't be. I can't have just one year with nothing to bring to this world. I have not served my purpose,'" recalls Shraddha.

Refusing to give up, Shraddha turned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

"More than 40% of her blood was being shunted away from her lungs. Because of that she had extremely low oxygen levels in her blood," explains Bashar Aqel, M.D., director of the Transplant Center at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "Shraddha's case was one of the most severe cases of liver disease and hepatopulmonary syndrome."

Saving Shraddha

The liver transplant was Shraddha's only hope for survival. "Without a transplant, this disease was progressive and fatal. We don't like to use this word, but it is a very progressive disease," says Dr. Aqel. "There was no other cure than a liver transplant."

Dr. Aqel and his multidisciplinary team of experts at Mayo Clinic went to work on a strategy to save Shraddha. The team came up with a plan using a combination of some of the latest cutting-edge technologies in medicine.

"Liver in a box"

Transplanting any organ is a race agains the clock. Every second the donor organ is outside the body it begins to break down. Surgeons only have a limited time window to transplant the organ. Due to the complexity of Shraddha's case, Dr. Aqel's team knew they would need extra time. They decided to use one of the latest medical breakthroughs in transplant often referred to as "liver in a box."

Traditionally donor organs are kept cold until transplanted. "Liver in a box" uses a warm organ preservation method. The organ is placed in a container that pumps oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood through the liver simulating conditions in the human body. The innovative perfusion system gives surgeons more time to perform the transplant.

"Having the donor "liver in a box" allowed the donor liver to stay healthy while we performed this complex surgery," says Dr. Aqel.

Currently, this warm perfusion technology is primarily being used for heart, lungs and liver transplants.

Saving lives with mobile ECMO

The next challenge was how to keep Shraddha's blood oxygen levels stable after her transplant. Dr. Aqel's team turned to a device called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. The device often is used when the lungs aren't working properly. ECMO helps with the appropriate gas exchange that must occur to keep the body's blood oxygen level safe.

"It helps in getting oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of the blood through the machine," explains Ayan Sen, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic's Intensive Care Unit in Arizona. "It helped us while her lungs recovered after her transplant."

The Mayo team also used one of the newest advancements in ECMO where the device is mobile.

"The best part of the mobile ECMO was that we do it in a way where she could actually walk around with the machine so that we could continue with her physical therapy, which is so important for the healing process after such a complex surgery," says Dr. Sen.

Shraddha was in the ICU for nearly two months. With mobile ECMO she walked nearly every day.

Dr. Sen says mobile ECMO has proved to be a game-changer in critical cases like Shraddha's.

"It is technology that has really expanded from what surgeons do when they do heart surgeries and transplants where now we can do this to save lives at any place that is not a complex environment, like the ICU or the operating rooms," explains Dr. Sen.

Mobile ECMO has become a lifesaving medical breakthrough for many patients.

"It has enabled us to raise the bar when it comes to saving people, who, until now, could not have been saved in the absence of this heart-lung machine," says Dr. Sen.

A team of highly specialized experts escorted Shraddha on her daily walks, meticulously monitoring her vital signs. Each step required Shraddha to muster every bit of strength she had.

"From the first day, I thought even if it pains me, if it hurts, even if it feels impossible, I still need to put that step forward to do something better today than yesterday," recalls Shraddha.

'Mayo's mission is now my purpose'

Almost two years after her harrowing experience, Shraddha is healthy and back at work. She continues her daily walks, only now, at the beach, in solitude, reflecting on how her own experience can make her a better healthcare professional.

"Mayo Clinic doesn't like to say no. They set out to achieve the unachievable," says Shraddha. "My goal is to treat patients as they do, making them a priority."

Shraddha says words of thanks alone are not enough to convey her gratitude.

"Dr. Aqel and his team achieved something for me that everyone else thought was impossible," says Shraddha. "It was a gift. I will keep the mission of Mayo Clinic in mind when I am serving my patients. My purpose now is to put forward their purpose and help someone else."

Related articles:

• Heart Transplant Innovation: New ‘heart in a box’ technology provides gift of life to Arizona man, as couple prepares to celebrate 50-year anniversary
• Breaking barriers: Helping Native Americans in need get the gift of life
• Organ Transplant Innovation: Helping more people get the gift of life

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Stomach pain is something everyone has probably had at some point in their life. But for one woman, her stomach pain set in motion a journey that led her to Mayo Clinic and the experts who could perform a lifesaving surgery.

Jessie Boyd has dedicated her life to health and fitness. She's been teaching kids about the benefits of exercise as a physical education teacher for nearly two decades. When it comes to her own fitness, you could find Jessie out hiking, biking — anything to stay active. For Jessie, maintaining a healthy lifestyle means the sky's the limit. But one morning in 2021, Jessie's active lifestyle came to an abrupt halt due to sudden and excruciating stomach pain.

Watch: Jessie's Journey

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"My mom and Justin (Jessie's friend) took me to the hospital right near our house, they admit me. They do a whole bunch of tests, and they determined that I had a hole in my intestine," says Jessie.

Jessie was taken into surgery immediately to repair the hole, and that's when surgeons discovered there was an even bigger problem. Additional testing revealed that Jessie was born with Budd-Chiari syndrome, a rare condition that causes impaired blood flow in the liver. A liver transplant was her only hope. But Jessie and her family were told a liver transplant was not an option and she was days from death.

"They said, 'We do not have the expertise to give Jessie the liver transplant,'" Jessie says. "And my mom and Justin (are) like, 'What are you talking about?' So, Mom and Justin said, 'Please get her to Mayo.'"

"Somebody with acute liver failure similar to the status she presented with, if they don't get the lifesaving liver transplant within seven days, they are unlikely to make it," says Dr. Bashar Aqel, a liver transplant specialist at Mayo Clinic.

Jessie got to Mayo Clinic in Arizona, but a donor organ still had to be located. Then on Christmas Day, a donor organ was found, thanks to the generosity of a person who made the decision to give the gift of life.

"So my whole family was cheering and jumping and everything, and Justin said, 'Thank you, God,'" says Jessie.

Dr. Aqel says those words mean a lot. "When we hear those words, I just say we get goosebumps because we love what we do. And that's the reason we continue doing what we are doing. Because with every donor, we save up to eight lives." "I'm two years and four months out from my transplant, and I'm better than I've ever been. And I just hope that I can give hope to another person who goes through something like this. And fight, because it's worth it," says Jessie.

Related Articles:

• Liver's regenerative ability allows for living donors
• Liver transplant patient becomes volunteer for department that saved his life

The post Jessie’s Journey appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

You may have seen or heard stories about transplant chains, also known as paired donations. This is when a living donor is not a match for a specific recipient but still agrees to donate, setting off a chain reaction of transplants. Most of these paired donations involve the kidney. Because most people have two kidneys and usually can get by with one just fine, donating the other is an option. Far less common is a paired liver transplant. 

Recently, surgical teams at Mayo Clinic completed their first paired liver transplant. But you might be asking yourself, if a person only has one liver, how can you be a living donor to start this chain?

The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. Among its jobs is helping to digest food and getting rid of waste. Unfortunately, disease and other factors can lead to liver failure.

Watch: Liver’s regenerative ability allows for living donors

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"At any given time, there's about 10,000 people waiting for a liver transplant in this country, and every year, we add another 10,000 to the waiting list," says Dr. Timucin Taner, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon. He adds that it can be a frustrating situation.

"The waiting list is not changing, because we're able to transplant only about 10,000 of them with deceased donor livers," he says.

What can make a difference is living donors. Even though you only have one liver, Dr. Taner says you can still be a living donor. "And this is all based on the liver's amazing ability to regenerate. Once you do this operation, you remove part of the liver. The remaining liver, as well as the part that goes to the recipient, starts growing right away, and it becomes a full-size liver within about three to four weeks. So it's an amazing capacity of the liver," he says.

Not every donor is going to be a compatible match for an intended recipient. That's where paired donation comes in, explains Dr. Taner. "So there are several situations where the donor may not be suitable or compatible with the intended recipient. In that situation, if they're clear to donate, then they can donate to somebody else who is compatible to them, and that recipient's donor can donate to the initial recipient. So we're just allowing these donors to give the gift that they're intended to give," he says.

Dr. Taner led the team that completed Mayo's first paired liver transplant in August. It was initiated by an altruistic donor. Dr. Taner says paired liver transplants are not as common as paired kidney transplants, in part because of the logistics involved. "You have to have a big team, and this big team includes nurse coordinators who work day in and day out with donors and recipients, the social work and independent liver donor advocate team, as well as the physicians, the surgeons," he says.

While the hope is to be able to do more of these procedures, Dr. Taner says the biggest hurdle is the number of donors. "So I would encourage people to look into the transplant programs to see if they can donate, and make a decision based on that information," he says.

Related Content:

• Mayo Clinic performs its first paired living liver donation

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Liver swap gives two patients a second chance at life

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Surgeons recently performed Mayo Clinic's first paired living liver donation, a significant first step in helping more people with liver failure get a lifesaving transplant.

"Liver transplantation is the only treatment option for most people with end-stage liver disease. But sadly, there are not enough donated livers available for everyone who needs one. That is why living liver donation is so important," says Timucin Taner, M.D., Ph.D., division chair of Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic who led the team that completed the clinic's first paired liver donation.

At any given time, there are approximately 10,000 people on the waiting list for a liver transplant in the U.S. Approximately 20% of people on the list will die waiting for a transplant. Living liver transplant offers another option, but only 6% of liver transplants performed last year came from living donors, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

How paired liver donation works

People can donate up to 70% of their liver because the liver has the unique ability to regenerate itself within a month. While paired living donation is commonly used for kidney transplants, it is relatively rare for liver transplants. Sometimes a potential donor who wants to give to a family member or friend isn't the best match for that recipient. In those situations, paired donation is considered. Donors and recipients are matched with other donors and recipients, creating a so-called "liver chain." In the case of Mayo Clinic's first paired liver donation, altruistic donor Michael Broeker, M.D., agreed to give a portion of his liver to a stranger, helping to kick-start the swap. He had previously donated a kidney and wanted to do more.

"I knew I wanted to be a living liver donor to help someone else. I was excited to have the opportunity to be a part of Mayo Clinic's first paired liver donation," says Dr. Broeker, of Eagan, Minnesota.

The paired liver donation surgeries were performed in August, and both donors and recipients are doing well. Only a handful of transplant centers in the U.S. offer paired liver donation because it is a major logistical undertaking. It requires a large healthcare team of nurse coordinators, physicians, social workers and others who can match patients. It also requires surgical teams to carefully coordinate.

Dr. Taner says he expects Mayo Clinic will do more paired liver donations in the future to help more patients get the transplants that they need. He encourages people who are healthy and between the ages of 18 to 60 to consider becoming a living liver donor.

"The biggest misconception about living donation is sometimes people think that they won't be able to have a normal life after the donation, which is wrong," Dr. Taner says. "It is a big operation, and it is important for patients to understand that. But once it is over, the liver regenerates to its full size, and the vast majority of people don't have long-term consequences after donation."

###

Related Content:

• Liver’s regenerative ability allows for living donors

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.

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

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Watch: Braxton Wohlferd's story

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Wetting a line and catching fish is just one of the many passions of young teen Braxton Wohlferd.

"Whatever they like to bite is what I like to throw," Braxton says. "I just like the aspect of being outdoors and just hanging out with people and having fun."

But earlier this year, this healthy, athletic high schooler from St. Charles, Minnesota, had his world turned upside down in a flash.

"He called frantically," says Melissa Wohlferd, Braxton's mother.

It was the morning after his 16^th birthday. Braxton thought he had the stomach flu. He was vomiting. Suddenly, it got much worse.

"I was like, 'You need to get home. Something's not right,'" Braxton says.

His mom, Melissa, a registered nurse, arrived moments later. "And he was lying on the floor, and his hands and feet were mottling," she says.

"My hands were turning, like, blue, almost. And then we tried to come upstairs, and I collapsed on the third stair," Braxton says.

"He said, 'Mom, I just can't do it. I can't catch my breath. My chest hurts,'" Melissa says.

Braxton was rushed to the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic. Not long after he arrived, he went into cardiac arrest. Life-saving CPR was performed until Braxton was put on a life support machine.

"I believe it was 22 minutes, full chest compressions. His heart never beat again," Melissa says.

But why?

"Completely healthy and then, within a blink of an eye, he's hooked up to every machine possible, keeping him alive," Melissa says.

Doctors at Mayo soon solved the mystery — a common childhood illness called parvovirus B19, also known as fifth disease.

"The majority of people who get parvovirus may not even know that they've had it," says Dr. Rebecca Ameduri, medical director of the Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Program at Mayo Clinic. "Most people, when they get parvovirus, will just have kind of common cold effects and will not have severe side effects like Braxton did."

Braxton's body had an extremely rare reaction to the virus causing his own immune system to attack and break down his heart muscle. "They said it was more likely to get struck by lightning," Melissa says.

"Sometimes, in cases like Braxton, it's what we call fulminant myocarditis, where it happens very rapidly, where those children can deteriorate in less than 24 hours," says Dr. Ameduri.

Braxton's only option was a heart transplant. "It was just so scary," Melissa says.

In less than a week, a miracle occurs. A donor heart arrives. "It was a perfect match for Braxton," Melissa says.

And a heart transplant performed by Mayo Clinic surgeons is a success. "It's kind of surreal to think that I'm still here," Braxton says.

"Without that organ donor, Braxton would not be here," Melissa says.

"Thank you doesn't even cover what I'd like to say. It's unbelievable. It's a selfless act that they give their organs away," Braxton says.

The virus also affected Braxton's legs, causing a condition known as compartment syndrome, which required emergency surgery to remove some of his leg muscles.

"I feel great. Feel like I'm getting my strength back, and I'm gonna keep working at it and plan on keep getting stronger," Braxton says.

Braxton hopes to be back playing baseball next year and planning plenty of future fishing trips.

"I don't know how many other people would have went through this and survived," Braxton says. "They said I was very lucky, I'm a miracle. And I feel like I'm a miracle."

Related stories:

• Mayo Clinic expert explains parvovirus B19, a common childhood infection
• Mayo Clinic Minute: What is myocarditis?

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Dr. Shennen Mao, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, says having a diverse pool of organ donors will help serve a growing wait list of those in need.

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In the U.S., 17 people die every day while waiting for an organ transplant.

Nearly 60% of people on transplant waiting lists come from minority communities, while about 30% of donors are people of color.

"Blood types and certain HLA, or antibodies, tend to correlate with various ethnic groups," says Dr. Mao. "So it is not directly related to a particular minority group; however, organs will end up with someone of a similar background because the better matched an organ is, the more longevity that organ has."

Higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes are present in minority communities, contributing to more organ failures.

"The more people we can help the sooner through transplant, the better," says Dr. Mao.

She says living donors do not experience a change in their quality of life after surgery, but a recipient's life can change for the better almost immediately.

"If somebody is approved to be a living donor, we expect they will live a full and normal life following their donation process," says Dr. Mao.

In most states, signing up to be a donor after death can be done online or when registering for a driver's license or identification card. For a living donation, contact the recipient's care team or a transplant center for more information.

Related posts:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Breaking barriers for patients who need kidney transplants
• Transplant program at Mayo Clinic in Florida celebrates its 25th anniversary with vision for future of transplant

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Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

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In an autologous bone marrow transplant, a patient's own healthy stem cells are used to replace diseased or damaged bone marrow.

"It's an intense treatment that has to be done in the hospital — typically, patients who stay in the hospital for approximately three weeks," says Dr. Ayala.

He says this is the time the immune system regenerates.

"Within three to six months after the transplant, the immune system is expected to be back to normal," says Dr. Ayala.

Patients with autoimmune disorders can return to their lives — most remaining in remission — making this treatment a good option.

"Autologous transplantation is an alternative and effective alternative for patients with autoimmune disease that are failing the standard treatments," Dr. Ayala says.

Candidates for this treatment are those without severe organ damage.

"We want them to have a good heart, good lungs, good kidney, good liver, have a good family support," says Dr. Ayala.

Related posts:

• Trust and timing: How a bone marrow transplant gave a man extra birthdays to celebrate
• How specialized blood cells could transform treatments for inflammatory disease

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Bone marrow transplants for autoimmune disorders appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

If talking were an Olympic sport, Marty Kedian would be a gold medal winner.

After undergoing a history-making larynx transplant at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, the Boston-area native is back home drawing lots of attention with his gift for gab. Marty was greeted with a spirited welcome home celebration including family, friends and a pack of news reporters, all abuzz with excitement to hear his voice for hope.

Watch: Larynx transplant patient inspires hometown with his voice for hope

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Silenced by cancer

For the past decade, Marty battled a rare form of laryngeal cancer called chondrosarcoma.

"I had dozens of surgeries and treatments that, over the years, took a toll on my larynx. After the last surgery, I woke up and my voice was gone," says Marty.

The larynx, also known as the voice box, is located in the throat. Its main functions are helping people to speak, swallow and breathe.

"I had to get a tracheostomy tube implanted to help me breathe, and since then, my quality of life went downhill. People would look at me like I was strange," says Marty. "I got to the point I just didn't want to leave the house anymore."

Determined to find a way to get her husband's voice back, Marty's wife Gina scoured the internet for solutions. Her search led her to Dr. David Lott and Mayo Clinic's Larynx and Trachea Transplant Program.

Dr. Lott and his team were conducting the first clinical trial in the U.S. on laryngeal transplantation. "I applied as a candidate for the program and got accepted. They told me it wouldn't be easy, but I was not going to give up," says Marty.

The groundbreaking larynx transplant

A team of multidisciplinary doctors, including six surgeons, performed the 21-hour transplant on Feb. 29. The first step was to remove Marty's larynx.

"Our first priority was to remove the cancer," explains Dr. Lott. "When we were confident the cancer was gone, we then focused on transplanting the donor larynx."

Laryngeal transplantation is a rare procedure that has been performed only a handful of times in the world. Marty's case was the third total larynx transplant in the U.S., and the first known case performed as part of a clinical trial. Dr. Lott hopes the clinical trial will allow his team to scientifically investigate the procedure to prove it is a safe and effective option for patients.

The Mayo transplant is also the first known case in the world of a larynx transplant performed on a patient with an active cancer. Doctors were able to proceed with the transplant because Marty was already on immunosuppressive therapy from a previous kidney transplant.

"Having a patient with an active cancer who already had his own immune suppression allowed us to do the transplant safely without introducing additional risk in a way that has rarely, if ever, been done before," says Girish Mour, M.B.B.S., medical director of the program. 

Currently there are tens of thousands of people worldwide who are living without a voice box, mostly due to trauma or cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated there will be 12,650 new cases of laryngeal cancer in 2024. Dr. Lott says many of those patients will be among the highest at risk of losing their larynx.

Breaking the silence

In just over four months after his surgery, Marty had regained full ability to swallow foods, was making progress learning to breathe on his own again and speaking with his voice at 60%.

"I was able to talk to my 82-year-old mother on the phone," says Marty. She could hear me and understood every word I said. It is amazing."

"It is remarkable," says Dr. Lott. "Marty has exceeded all of our expectations. I didn't expect him to be eating a hamburger this soon after a larynx transplant, if ever. It is truly amazing."

Welcome home Marty

Marty and Gina celebrated the successful transplant with an extended road trip on their way home. "We wanted to take a moment and appreciate where this journey has led us and where we are today," says Marty.

The couple had already made a visit to the Grand Canyon. After leaving Phoenix, they stopped in San Diego to see the Pacific Ocean, visited the Golden Gate Bridge, and got a glimpse of Mount Rushmore and Niagara Falls.

"It feels so amazing to be able to talk to anyone I meet on the street," says Marty. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Lott and Mayo for giving me my life back. I am also deeply grateful for the generosity of my organ donor and the donor family. They are the true heroes of this story."

When the couple arrived home in Haverhill, they were greeted by a cheering crowd of family, friends and reporters all eager to hear his voice.

Marty Kedian talks with Boston Media on Aug. 1, 2024

"I will share my story with anyone who wants to hear it," says Marty. "My job right now is to heal up and get my voice back 100%. My next job will be to reach out to as many people as I can and let them know they can do it too."

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How is artificial intelligence used to improve all parts of the organ transplant process? On the latest episode of Tomorrow's Cure, learn about the efforts to use AI to help physicians detect organ failure earlier. AI is also powerful in helping detect the potential impacts of early interventions to delay or prevent organ failure and the need for organ replacement therapies.  

This week's podcast episode features Dr. Rohan Goswami, Transplant Cardiologist and Director of Heart Transplant Research and Innovation at Mayo Clinic, and Javier Echenique, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at GPx, a healthcare technology company. 

GPx developed a bloodless blood test, a wearable device that utilizes AI to monitor patients with heart failure. The innovation allows physicians to monitor patients proactively to prevent their conditions from worsening.

"Sometimes, you rely on patients to tell you they don’t feel great before you decide to intervene. Often, by that point, things have gone really far," explains Echenique. "There's very little that Dr. Goswami can do to really turn around that condition. But, if you can catch it earlier, he can help that patient better. The blood test tends to show this change in the patient often before the patient starts feeling symptoms themselves." 

Advancements in technology could help patients prevent a decline in their heart health, as well as reduce hospitalizations. 

“I think the biggest role for AI, where I see it really helping transplant patients is to actually avoid transplant altogether,” said Dr. Goswami. “One of the things that we're working on is predicting who has heart failure and who's going to recover with certain therapies that we apply. And, earlier prediction and understanding of, their environmental factors, their disease state, what medications they're on, what their antiprobiology trend looks like, really may give us a better idea.”

To learn more, check out the new episode of  Tomorrow's Cure wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about Tomorrow's Cure and see a complete list of episodes and featured experts, visit tomorrowscure.com.

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