https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2025-11-05/could-pig-kidneys-end-the-transplant-shortage-first-u-s-trial-begins

Could Pig Kidneys End the Transplant Shortage? First U.S. Trial Begins
A first-of-its-kind clinical trial is beginning in the United States to see if pig kidneys could help save the lives of people waiting for a human organ transplant.
United Therapeutics, the company that developed the genetically edited pig kidneys, said Monday that the first transplant in the trial has already taken place at NYU Langone Health.
The patient's identity and surgery date were not released for privacy reasons.
NYU surgeon Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led the transplant team, said the hospital already has more patients waiting to join the study.
The trial will begin with six participants and could grow to as many as 50 people if early results are safe and promising.
More than 100,000 Americans are on the national transplant waitlist, most of them needing a kidney.
Thousands die each year because not enough donor organs are available. That's why scientists are now exploring xenotransplantation — or transplanting animal organs into humans — as a possible solution.
Earlier "compassionate use" procedures showed mixed results. One woman lived 130 days with a pig kidney before needing dialysis again, and a man in New Hampshire lived 271 days before his pig kidney began to fail and was removed.
A few additional patients in the U.S. and China are living with pig kidneys as of today.
"This thing is moving in the right direction," Montgomery told The Associated Press, adding that because patients can return to dialysis if needed, the procedure has a built-in safety net.
The pig kidneys being tested in this study have 10 genetic edits. The edits remove pig genes that cause organ rejection and add human genes that may help the body accept the transplant.

Another company, eGenesis, is also starting a similar clinical trial soon.
More information
The United Network for Organ Sharing has more on xenotransplantation.

Our calendar is at https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/ Add yours!

Whether you're reciting a poem as a memory aid for the English Gunpowder Plot, or humming along about the storms of November coming early, or you're reading here to wonder again about the courage, hope, sometime tragedy, and the ways our setting foot on the path to donation marked an significant turning point in out lives, our families, and our careers. May your heart be eased if you're grieving, may you find relief if you're in pain, and if you're celebrating life and joy, may it be redoubled again and again for being shared with peers and friends. Best wishes, all!

US National Donor Sabbath
Sunday, November 16
Every 12 months on the third Sunday
https://www.organdonor.gov/professionals/outreach-materials/donor-sabbath-digital-english

Fifty-second anniversary:
Mara McRae donated a kidney to her sister, Clair, on November 28th, 1973

Forty-ninth anniversary:
Susan Inoue donated a kidney to her brother, Stephen, on November 4th, 1976

Forty-second anniversary:
Fr. Gerry Pehler O.F.M.Cap. donated a kidney to his brother Nov. 15th, 1983. Both were present at the 2010 Transplant Games in Wisconsin, where the recipient competed as an athlete for Team Wisconsin, with wife and daughter cheering him on.

Fortieth anniversary:
Mike Hogan donated a kidney to his brother, Kevin, on November 8th, 1985

Thirty-sixth anniversary:
Lynne donated a kidney to her stepsister, Michelle, on November 20th, 1989
Teresa A. Smith donated part of her liver to her 21-month-old daughter, Alyssa on November 25th, 1989.  She is the first living liver donor in the US.

Thirty-fourth anniversary:
Michael Murphy, founder of LDO!, donated a kidney to his sister on November 20th, 1991

Thirty-second and seventeenth anniversaries:
Carlos G. Ramirez donated a kidney to his beautiful mother, Luisa Maria Ramirez, on November 30th, 1993. She passed away on July 18th, 2008.

Thirty-first anniversary:
Mary Sue Owen donated a kidney to her daughter, Rachel Miller, on November 23rd, 1994

Twenty-eighth anniversary:
Johanna Young donated a kidney to her father, Niels Johnson, on November 13th, 1997

Twenty-sixth anniversary:
John C. Fama donated a kidney to his brother-in-law in November, 1999
Jamie Smith donated a kidney to her father, Raymond Marsh, on November 15th, 1999, his second transplant. Though he died 4 years later, at age 48, Jamie "would do it again in a heartbeat."

Twenty-fifth anniversary:
Patricia Roche donated a kidney to her father on November 1st, 2000
Daniel donated a kidney to his wife on November 8th, 2000

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Kristin Mulhall donated a kidney to her father on November 13th, 2001
Jean Carolyn Belk donated a kidney to her husband on November 19th, 2001
Shaun R. Diamond donated a kidney to his son, Kelly, on November 28th, 2001

Twenty-third anniversary:
Caroline Hutchison Farrell donated a kidney to her sister,  Kathryn C Hutchison, on November 15th, 2002
Vic donated a kidney to his stepdaughter on November 22nd, 2002
Ruthellen Frey donated a kidney to her sister on November 26th, 2002

Twenty-second anniversary:
Kathleen donated a kidney to a friend on November 19th, 2003
Aimee donated a kidney to a friend on November 21st, 2003
Julie Anna Gowan donated part of her liver to her daughter on November 25th, 2003
Janet donated a kidney to her adopted brother on November 26th, 2003 

Twenty-first anniversary:
Doreen Valero donated a kidney to her brother on November 11th, 2004
Rhonda Smith donated a kidney to an unrelated person on November 16th, 2004
Eileen Rooney donated a kidney to a stranger on November 17th, 2004
Pam Benson donated a kidney to her friend, Anna Nichols, on November 18th, 2004
Michael Sullivan donated a kidney to his mother on November 22nd, 2004
Lin Painter donated a kidney to her sister, Maureen Fry, on November 23rd 2004
Terry Manley donated a kidney to her husband on November 24th, 2004
Jodi McKinley donated a kidney to Gerrit Heijnen on November 30th, 2004

Twentieth anniversary:
Wende Shurin donated a kidney to her father, Frank Bianco, on November 10th, 2005
Brad McCooey donated a kidney to his brother on November 16th, 2005
Karen Kuzsel donated a kidney to her daughter on November 16th, 2005
Nancy Conley donated part of her liver to a stranger on November 16th, 2005
Trysha Galloway donated 60% of her liver to her father on November 16th, 2005

Nineteenth anniversary:
Maria Hannah Azul donated a kidney to her best friend, Marimel Lamsin, on November 3rd, 2006
Pam Garrett donated a kidney to Mason Steinmark on November 9th, 2006
Eddie Sloan donated a kidney to an unrelated person on November 14th, 2006
Elizabeth Morgan donated a kidney to her father on November 21th, 2006
Amanda West donated a kidney to her father on November 23rd, 2006
Kimberly Weathers donated her left kidney to her nephew, Jeffery Weathers, on November 26th, 2006

Eighteenth anniversary:
Lori McDaniel donated a kidney to her mother on November 1st, 2007
Allison Slater donated a kidney to her mother, Sharon, on November 5th, 2007
Tracy Deitz donated a kidney to a friend on November 6th, 2007
Mike Terry donated a kidney to a friend on November 11th, 2007
Sherri Bauman donated a kidney to her brother on November 12th, 2007
Dawn Porreca Antaya donated part of her liver to her brother, Anthony Porreca, on November 19th, 2007
Justine Graham donated a kidney to her stepfather, Kevin Fazakarley, on November 20th, 2007
Tom donated a kidney on November 27th, 2007

Seventeenth anniversary:
Desiree Germick donated part of her liver to her mother, Judith, on November 5th, 2008
Stephanie Woolfolk donated a kidney to her aunt on November 13th, 2008
William Freeman made a non-directed kidney donation on November 24th, 2008

Sixteenth anniversary:
Angela Gibson became a non-directed kidney donor on November 9th, 2009
Fr. Mark Seitz donated a kidney to a parishioner on November 10th, 2009

Fifteenth anniversary:
Kamillah donated a kidney to her mother on November 1st, 2010
Liz LaPoint donated a kidney to a friend of a friend, Ken Thomas, on November 9th, 2010
Nicole Haggiag donated a kidney to an unrelated person on November 18th, 2010

Fourteenth anniversary:
Sangita Nandan donated a kidney to her sister, Malti Chandra, on November 1st, 2011
Millie Griffey-Bryson donated a kidney to her niece on November 3rd, 2011
Jill Fetzer donated a kidney to her cousin, Laura Blanchard, on November 4th, 2011
Erin Fili donated a kidney to her step father, Gabriel Yuil, on November 8th, 2011
Larry Snyder donated a kidney to his Dad on November 11th, 2011
Casey A. Carlson donated a kidney to his sister, Kristy, on November 16th, 2011
Jim Russell donated a kidney to his uncle on November 16th, 2011
Amanda donated a kidney to her aunt on November 18th, 2011

Thirteenth anniversary:
Dena Lawson donated a kidney to Bob Rodgers, an unrelated person, on November 9th, 2012
Roger donated a kidney to a stranger through paired exchange on behalf of his wife, Liz, on November 13th, 2012
Jamie Wynn donated a kidney to her Dad, James "Rocky" Peterson, on November 15th, 2012
Paige Ovick donated a kidney to her son, Damien Klemz, on November 24th, 2012

Twelfth anniversary:
Jackie Murray Taylor donated a kidney to her sister in law on November 6th, 2013
Lillian Poli donated a kidney to an unrelated person on November 13th, 2013
Valerie Brown donated a kidney to Christine Curti, unrelated, on November 13th, 2013
Nosheen Athar Abro donated part of her liver to her friend, Muhammad Naveed Anwar, on November 18th, 2013
Maria Gonzalez donated a kidney to her nephew, Daniel Foster, on November 19th, 2013
Jesse Holzhauer donated a kidney to his 2nd cousin, Danny Lancelot, on November 25th, 2013 

Eleventh anniversary:
Peggy donated her left kidney to her husband Ryan on November 17th, 2014

Tenth anniversary:
Elizabeth Meyer donated a kidney to Mary Raines via Matching Donors on November 4th, 2015
Josette Garcia donated a kidney to her spouse, Theresa Madrid, on November 12 2015

Fifth anniversary:
Jeannie Cordaro donated a kidney to a family friend, Trey Powell, on November 12th, 2020

Second anniversary:
Cara Bernard donated a kidney to a person she hadn't met as of March 2024 on November 7th, 2023

https://youtu.be/g4fZjdWZG6M?si=1-FX3QYiNvEIRv6i

And that he's already a frequent blood donor!

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/31/brown-university-doctor-deportation-case-00631772

Judge tosses lawsuit from Brown University physician halted at Boston airport

Kidney specialist Rasha Alawieh was deported in March after immigration officials found Hezbollah-related photos on her phone.
...

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/10/21/future-of-richmond-based-organ-transplant-contractor-unclear-as-deadline-nears/

Future of Richmond-based organ transplant contractor unclear as deadline nears

The Richmond-based United Network for Organ Sharing has operated the country's organ transplant network for almost 40 years. But it is unclear what role UNOS will have in the transplantation of kidneys, livers and other organs after Dec. 29.
The nonprofit's contract ends that day, and the federal government has given UNOS no information about how it plans to manage the network afterward, said Paige Adrians, a spokesperson for UNOS.
The government has said it will break up UNOS' contract into pieces and divvy up its work among multiple contractors. But the health department has not issued task orders or begun the process of transitioning the work. And it is unclear if any progress is being made during the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1.
UNOS has already furloughed some staff after the health department instructed the contractor to cease some of its operations. Now the nonprofit and its roughly 360-person staff have an uncertain future.

Congress passed the National Organ Transplant Act in 1984 and awarded the first contract to operate the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to UNOS in 1986. The nonprofit won every contract thereafter until last year.
Headquartered on North Fourth Street downtown, UNOS operates a network that includes about 250 transplant centers and 55 regional organ procurement organizations. There are more than 100,000 Americans currently on the waiting list for a new organ, and this year, about 20 Virginia residents have died each month waiting for an organ, according to UNOS data.
Over the years, critics have said the network lacked sufficient logistics, oversight and modern technology. In the summer, a federal investigation found numerous safety problems in organ transplantation.
UNOS' CEO, Maureen McBride, told a congressional committee in July that there is no greater priority for UNOS than "a safe, effective and trustworthy organ donation and transplant system."
In 2023, President Joe Biden signed a bill splitting UNOS' contract into pieces. The federal health department chose 14 finalists to compete for work within the network, with UNOS among them. The health department extended UNOS' contract through Dec. 29, 2025, but no more extensions are available. The government will have to either negotiate a new contract with UNOS or select new contractors.
If the government wants new contractors, it will have to issue task orders for companies to bid on different facets of work and then pick the winners. So far, the government has chosen two contractors to do small portions of UNOS' work. Last year, a contractor called the American Institutes for Research, based in Arlington County, won a task order to support the transplant network's board of directors. Last month, the Fairfax County-based Guidehouse Digital won a contract to manage a patient services call line. But the health department has not yet directed UNOS to transition either of those jobs to the new vendors.
"The government still needs to issue task orders for the vast majority" of organ transplant work, Adrians said. It is unclear how and when the health department would make that transition.
The work to determine the network's future might have stopped during the shutdown. The Health Resources and Services Administration, the federal agency that oversees UNOS, said it is furloughing just under half its employees, and the staffers who deal directly with UNOS have stopped working, Adrians said. A spokesperson for the health department did not respond to a request for comment.

UNOS has spent months asking the health department to discuss its plans for the system, Adrians said, but it has not gotten an answer.
...

https://themarkup.org/on-borrowed-time/2025/10/14/is-the-patient-black-check-this-box-for-yes?mc_cid=7c1a488ffc&mc_eid=240432cb6c

On Borrowed Time
Is the patient Black? Check this box for yes
For years a race-based medical calculation delayed Black patients access to life-saving kidney transplants
By Anissa Durham


This article is part of "On Borrowed Time," a series by Anissa Durham that examines the people, policies, and systems that hurt or help Black patients in need of an organ transplant.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Craig Merritt asked himself the same two-word question:
Why me?
...

https://themarkup.org/on-borrowed-time/2025/10/14/its-hard-to-find-resources-while-on-the-transplant-list-these-sites-want-to-change-that

It's hard to find resources while on the transplant list. These sites want to change that
Here are seven resources to help if you need an organ transplant
By Anissa Durham
...

https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/shutdown-forces-key-organ-transplant-nonprofit-to-furlough-staff

Shutdown Forces Organ Transplant Nonprofit to Furlough Staff
Erin Durkin
John Hewitt Jones

A nonprofit crucial to operating the US organ transplant system has furloughed more than 90 employees because of the federal shutdown as lawmakers remain at an impasse over a government spending deal.
The United Network for Organ Sharing in an emailed statement to Bloomberg Government said it was unable to continue funding the salaries of certain employees and that the Trump administration had indicated it won't cover these costs. The group also said the government owed several months' worth of reimbursement, totaling more than $10 million.
The days of the department "rubber stamping UNOS's invoices" are done, Andrew Nixon, Health ...

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03248-5

First human transplant of kidney modified to have 'universal' blood type
Recipient diagnosed with brain death received a type-O organ, which is compatible with all blood types.

• By Rachel Fieldhouse

Scientists have converted the blood type of a donor kidney and transplanted the organ into a person. The procedure — the first of its kind — could improve access to donor organs, specialists say, because the blood type of the donor would no longer matter.
Currently, organs from deceased donors can be transplanted into people only if they have a compatible blood type. This is because the recipient's immune system can produce antibodies to attack and destroy the donated organ if the donor and recipient have different antigens, which come in two types: A and B. Organs that are blood type O do not have A or B antigens, so anyone can receive them.
Researchers from Canada and China used an enzyme to remove type-A antigens from a donor kidney1. The enzyme converts type-A blood into type-O, says study author Stephen Withers, a chemist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The type-O kidney was then transplanted into a 68-year-old brain-dead man in Chongqing, China. The organ remained healthy for two days before showing signs of rejection. It produced urine for six days. The results are published in Nature Biomedical Engineering today.
...

https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/  Add your anniversary here!

Best wishes to all remembering a momentous time in life! Here's hoping all's well with you and yours, and all recipients! We wonder about Andrew and Carol so many years later. Rebecca, our hearts go out to you again and again. Take good care, all!

Forty-ninth anniversary:
Andrew Janollari donated a kidney to his sister, Carol, on October 12th, 1976

Thirty-sixth anniversary:
Tyrone Hyslop donated part of his liver to his sister on October 18th, 1989

Thirty-fifth anniversary:
Dannielle Hayes donated a kidney to her mother on October 9th, 1990

Twenty-ninth anniversary:
Lisa Moore donated a kidney to her sister on October 17th, 1996
Leslie Moore Boyd donated a kidney to her father, Charles, on October 31st, 1996. He lived three more years, during which he welcomed his last grandchild into this world.

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Robert S. Burroughs donated a kidney to his sister on October 10th, 1998
Charlotte Singletary donated a kidney to her sister, Cindy Murdock, on October 21st, 1998

Twenty-sixth anniversary:
Jack Hallman donated a kidney to Donna Leubke's recipient, her sister, his friend, on October 19th, 1999

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Barb donated a kidney to her brother on October 1st, 2001. He was re-transplanted 6 days later.
Ellen Souviney donated a kidney to a friend on October 2nd, 2001
Michelle Nichols donated a kidney to a stranger on October 29th, 2001
Jennifer Beckwith donated a kidney to her sister on October 30th, 2001

Twwenty-third anniversary:
Mary DeLeeuw donated a kidney to a friend on October 8th, 2002
Sylvia Ridley donated a kidney to her mother, Lucy, on October 23rd, 2002
Janice Uible donated a kidney to her husband on October 29th, 2002

Twenty-second anniversary:
Tina Alvarez donated a kidney to her sister on October 13th, 2003
Stephanie Powell donated a kidney to a stranger on October 21st, 2003
Marilyn Zeller-Walker donated a kidney to her daughter on October 28th, 2003

Twenty-first anniversary:
Samuel R. Smitty II donated a kidney to an unrelated person on October 20th, 2004
Gladys Sanders donated a kidney to her daughter on October 29th, 2004

Twentieth anniversary:
Bruce Doty donated a kidney to his daughter, Tracey, on October 12th, 2005, the day before her 23rd birthday. 
Angela Dale donated a kidney to her friend, Charles Coats, on October 19th, 2005
Lynda Gammons donated a kidney to her husband, Ian, on October 20th, 2005
Ruth Woodhall donated a kidney to her cousin, Alan, on October 27th, 2005

Nineteenth anniversary:
Michael Joseph donated a kidney to a stranger found on LDO in October, 2006
Patty-Lynn Gouthro donated a kidney to her sister on October 4th, 2006
Bryan Compton donated a kidney to his wife, Debbie, on October 10th, 2006
Vince C. donated a kidney to his wife on October 17th, 2006
Amanda Mathenia donated a kidney to her father, Terry, on October 25th, 2006

Eighteenth anniversary:
Lauren Chavis donated a kidney to Christina Hill on October 2nd, 2007
Tina Schwaderer donated a kidney to David Martin on October 2nd, 2007
Kim Jackson donated her left kidney to her mother on October 5th, 2007
Ann Davis donated a kidney to her husband on October 22nd, 2007
Khalifa Al Shaibani donated a kidney to his brother, Hamad, on October 26th, 2007
Diane Curtiss donated a kidney to her husband on October 30th, 2007

Seventeenth anniversary:
Nathan Pearl donated a kidney to his sister on October 7th, 2008
Edwin E. Rodriguez, Sr., donated a kidney to his son, Edwin E. Rodriguez, Jr., on October 9th, 2008
Anne-Marie Meyer donated her right kidney to her friend Susie on October 14th, 2008
Lorrie Whitfield donated a kidney to her husband on October 15th, 2008
Carole Stueben donated a kidney to her father on October 16th, 2008
Oliver Foggin donated a kidney to a friend on October 17th, 2008
Kathy Harris donated a kidney to her husband on October 23rd, 2008
Sarah McDaniel donated a kidney to a stranger in a list exchange on October 28th, 2008 (her mother received a deceased-donor kidney four weeks later)

Sixteenth anniversary:
Linda donated a kidney to her husband on October 8th, 2009
Faith McKinney donated a kidney to her cousin's husband, Steve Carter, on October 20th, 2009
Carmen Manning donated a kidney to her father on October 23rd, 2009
Phil Hoover gave his left kidney to one of his college professors from more than 20 years ago on October 28th, 2009

Fifteenth anniversary:
Rebecca Chambers Farwell donated a kidney to her husband, Keith, on October 19th, 2010.  He died a short time later from a preventable complication.
Scott Jenkins donated a kidney to a stranger in need on October 22nd, 2010

Fourteenth anniversary:
Shelby Morris donated a kidney to a friend on October 6th, 2011
Tricia Carter donated a kidney to her sister, Elaine, on October 16th, 2011
Brenda Walsh donated a kidney to her brother, Robert Rhinas, on October 17th, 2011
Tom Carr made a non-directed kidney donation on October 21st, 2011
Linda donated a kidney to her best friend from high school on October 28th, 2011
Sonya Martinez donated a kidney to her husband Jaime, on October 28th, 2011

Thirteenth anniversary:
Linda Bernard donated a kidney on October 1st, 2012
Shana Roche donated part of her liver to her father, Michael Cox, on October 4th, 2012
Scott W. Barnes donated a kidney to his uncle, Billy Gene Crum, on October 18th, 2012

Twelfth anniversary:
Christa Bolette Hassen donated part of her liver to four week old Maddox Raptosh on October 16th, 2013
Bruce Stanfill donated a kidney to his neighbor, Ben Bott, on October 23rd, 2013
Julie Chahal donated a kidney to her father, Ken, on October 23rd, 2013
June Krueger donated a kidney to her long time friend, Cindy Dischinger, on October 30th, 2013

Eleventh anniversary:
Jon Aplin donated part of his liver to his friend, Jaci Rego, on October 2nd, 2014
Angel McCliggott donated a kidney on October 31st, 2014

Tenth anniversary:
Lisa Mendpara donated a kidney to her husband, Ris***, on October 14th, 2015

Ninth anniversary:
Donna Aitken donated a kidney to her sister, Karen, on October 25th, 2016

Sixth anniversary:
Tom Davies made a non-directed kidney donation on October 16th 2019
April Wilson donated a kidney to her mother, Marylou Walker, on October 21st, 2019
Erin Kirchner donated a kidney anonymously, reportedly to a 14 year old girl in Minnesota, on October 22nd, 2019

Fourth anniversary:
Anita I. Costello donated a kidney to her husband, Zavier D. Mauldin, on October 25th, 2021

Third anniversary:
Rose Osborn donated a kidney to her cousin, Angel Cesta, on October 6th, 2022