Transplant
The latest transplant news from UNC Health Care and the UNC School of Medicine.
New Islet Cell Transplant Program, First in North Carolina, Giving Pancreatitis Patients a Better Option
The Chronic Pancreatitis and Autologous Islet Cell Transplant Program, created by Chirag S. Desai, MD, is helping patients improve their quality of life by eliminating severe pain and reducing or ending the use of narcotic pain medications, while preventing brittle diabetes.
Egan publishes commentary about recent change in donor lung allocation policy
Thomas Egan, MD, says that the change in policy was long overdue. However, because the change happened over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in response to litigation, it came as a “tsunami” that was “sudden, unexpected, and may have huge consequences.”
A Mother’s Gift
Ten years ago Carol Offen donated a kidney to her son. Today she works to demystify the process of live organ donation in the hopes that more people will give the gift of life.
Grateful for Every Breath
In 1990, Howell Graham was the first patient at UNC Hospitals with cystic fibrosis to receive a double lung transplant. Over the years he has tried several times, but couldn’t quite find the right words to say ‘thank you’ for the gift he received. Now, he says he’s finally ready.
UNC heart transplant patient featured on Ellen Degeneres Show
Fourteen-year-old Al-J was diagnosed with a heart condition as an infant, and patiently waited for the transplant that might save his life. Al-J met Ellen and told her his emotional story of survival.
Dedication, inspiration
On April 16, on what was described as a “perfect Carolina day,” Jason Ray’s legacy was celebrated as the UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic was officially dedicated.
UNC Hospitals To Dedicate Transplant Clinic to Local Hero During National Donate Life Month
Former Tar Heel mascot and organ donor to be remembered at dedication ceremony
Family receives ultimate gift this holiday season
On December 2, people across the nation celebrated Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to service and giving back. That morning, Justin Borgemeister received the ultimate gift, a kidney transplant from his younger brother.
Kena Sawyers: New Lungs, New Life, Part II
A Rockingham County woman gets a second double-lung transplant on her 51st birthday, allowing her to breathe without the use of an oxygen tank for the first time in 20 years.
Jeff Mazza: A New Kidney, A New Life
A former Chapel Hill dentist now retired in Carteret County gets a second chance at life thanks to the donation of a kidney from his adult son.
Egan spearheads groundbreaking clinical trial for lung donation
A successful clinical trial could increase the pool of available donated lungs for thousands of patients.
NIH awards $4 million grant to UNC and Egan for lung transplant research
This three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund a clinical trial to study assessment and transplantation of lungs from victims of sudden death.
Cindy Korff: A Caregiver Gives Thanks
The mother of a 22-year-old Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune says thanks to the medical professionals at UNC Hospitals who saved her son’s life and the new-found friends-for-life who buoyed her at SECU Family House while helping her son heal.
Heather Ledbetter: A Second Chance with a New Liver
A life-long Henderson County native receives a second chance at life with a liver transplant after a rare bone marrow disorder caused life-threatening blood clots in her liver.
UNC Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Program achieves outstanding outcomes
UNC Cancer Care’s Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Program is one of only 14 out of 156 centers across the country to be rated an “overperforming” center.
Patient survival not impacted by liver transplants performed at night or on weekends
A new study led by Dr. A. Sidney Barritt IV of UNC shows that liver transplants performed at night or on weekends do not adversely affect patient or graft survival.
April is Donate Life Awareness Month
Please join the UNC Center for Transplant Care in celebrating April as Donate Life Awareness Month. Read on for details about the events scheduled throughout April where you can learn more about organ donation, sign up as an organ donor, and enjoy some free music and food!
Luella Love: New Lungs for a New Life
A 48-year-old Concord woman receives a double-lung transplant, giving her a second chance at life, a life her mother had been told wouldn’t exceed her daughter’s entry to kindergarten.
A second chance for Jakeina
UNC heart surgeon Dr. Andy Kiser reflects on the remarkable story of one of his patients, Jakeina Sutton of Rose Hill, N.C., a 16-year-old who recently received a heart and kidney transplant. For Jakeina, this was her second heart transplant.
Family House Diaries: A New Heart + A New Kidney = A New Life
A new heart and a new kidney give a 28-year-old Wilson woman, unwell since age 7, a second chance at life. Crystal Sharpe becomes the 11th recipient of a heart and kidney transplant at UNC Hospitals.