organ donor

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Guy Offers Truck, Kidney in Return for Help for Sick Wife

He says she desperately needs a new liver

(Newser) - A California man desperate to save his wife's life made an unusual offer: his truck, his trailer, and one of his kidneys in return for a slice of healthy liver from somebody with O-positive or O-negative blood. In a Facebook post that went viral, Verlon Robinson, 55, said he... More »

After Parents Sign Organ Donor Papers, 13-Year-Old Recovers

Alabama's Trenton McKinley suffered brain trauma in freak accident

(Newser) - Things were looking so dire for 13-year-old Trenton McKinley of Mobile, Ala., that his parents signed the papers to donate his organs to five other kids. But a day before doctors were to take him off life support, Trenton began showing signs of recovery from a traumatic brain injury, reports... More »

Russia: Asking for OK Before Taking Organs Is 'Inhumane'

European Court of Human Rights hearing 2 cases on Russia's organ donation law

(Newser) - At least two lawsuits filed at a top European court claim Russia violated Europe's Human Rights Convention by removing organs from the recently dead without telling relatives. Russia's response: Asking relatives' permission would be "inhumane." Documents provided to the AP detail how Russia is fighting charges... More »

Man Who Got Face Transplant Details Life After Risky Surgery

Pat Hardison says he 'bet it all' and won; now he vacations with his kids, lives life to fullest

(Newser) - There was only a 50% chance the face transplant that could transform his life would work—and it was a gamble Mississippi's Pat Hardison won. Per USA Today , the ex-Senatobia firefighter received the "world's most extensive face transplant" in August 2015, after he'd been severely burned... More »

Organs From 13-Year-Old Girl Save 8 Lives

Jemima Layzell, who died of a brain aneurysm, breaks a UK record

(Newser) - Eight people, including five children, have a 13-year-old organ donor to thank for their lives—and that donor has entered the UK record books. The Guardian reports on Jemima Layzell, who collapsed from a brain aneurysm while helping prep for her mom's birthday party in March 2012. Jemima died... More »

Pilot Trades 'Kidney for Lasagna'

She and flight attendant are back to work 5 months after the transplant

(Newser) - Four years ago, the home of Alaska Airlines pilot Jodi Harskamp burned down. Alaska Airlines flight attendant Jenny Stansel was one of the first people to come by, with a lasagna in hand. "She said, 'you don’t know me but here is some love,'" Harskamp... More »

Big Breakthrough Could Mean Pig Organs in Humans

Scientists who've created genetically modified piglets say perhaps in 2 years

(Newser) - Pig organs have long been eyed as transplant options for humans, as the organs are about the same size and pigs are plentiful, but it's been challenging to overcome the human immune system's possible rejection of such organs. Now, in what one medical expert tells the New York ... More »

Toddler Gets Gift of a Lifetime From Grandma

The 2-year-old is dialysis-free for the first time since she was 2 months old

(Newser) - It's not every day that a grandmother is called on to save her grandchild's life, but when the day came for Carol Graydon, who is 62, to do just that, she didn't hesitate. Her granddaughter, Wryn Graydon, was diagnosed at two months of age with congenital nephrotic... More »

His Son Was Murdered. Then, an 'Astonishing Effect'

Boost in Italy's organ donation rate credited to Nicholas Green

(Newser) - Nineteen-year-old Maria Pia Pedala was in a coma from liver failure in Sicily, Italy, on Sept. 29, 1994, when a 7-year-old American boy was shot dead while on vacation with his family in the country. Though Italy had one of the lowest rates of organ donation in western Europe at... More »

After Devastating Ultrasound, a Remarkable Decision

Eva will be born so her organs can be donated

(Newser) - Keri Young was nearly halfway through her pregnancy when she and her husband learned that the girl she was carrying was terminally ill. Suffering from anencephaly, the fetus was developing without parts of her brain, and in almost all cases these babies die within a day or two of birth,... More »

A 2006 Suicide Attempt Took His Face. He Just Got Another

Andy Sandness becomes Mayo Clinic's first face transplant recipient

(Newser) - Andy Sandness didn't want to die—but he didn't realize that until he tried to take his own life on Dec. 23, 2006. The "super, super depressed" 21-year-old Wyoming man had shot himself beneath the chin with a rifle; when police arrived, he begged them to save... More »

Number of French Organ Donors Just Shot Up

New law presumes consent unless you opt out

(Newser) - French people who die will become organ donors unless they specifically opt out before their death, under a new law that took effect on the first day of 2017. Previously, the families of French citizens who had not specified whether they wanted to be organ donors were contacted after their... More »

After Donating a Kidney, This Medical Student Now Regrets It

'I am angry that I was never fully informed of the lack of research'

(Newser) - When he was 18, Michael Poulson did something that is undeniably selfless and brave: He donated a kidney to his stepfather's brother. Eight years later, both men are doing fine. But Poulson is now a medical student, and in an essay at the Washington Post , he writes that he... More »

107-Year-Old Organ Is Donated

Woman becomes Scotland's oldest organ donor

(Newser) - You know what they say: You're never too old to donate an organ. Well, they should say that, anyway. The Evening Times reports a woman recently became Scotland's oldest organ donor after dying at the age of 107. Her corneas were removed and are now helping a young... More »

1 in 11 Organ Donors Died of Drug Overdose Last Year

More than 20 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant

(Newser) - As the number of Americans dying of drug overdoses continues to rise—thanks in large part to an opioid epidemic—so too has the number of organ donors. In fact, the percentage of donors who died of overdoses has nearly tripled since 2006, according to data gathered by the United... More »

Message on SUV Gets Man New Kidney

Stranger decided to help ailing Ohio man

(Newser) - An ailing Ohio man whose family taped bright yellow letters asking for a kidney to the rear window of his SUV has found a donor, per the AP . The Columbus Dispatch reports 68-year-old Neal Raisman received a new kidney Friday at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center after suffering... More »

Mom Hears Dead Son Inside 4-Year-Old Girl

Heather Clark donated her son's heart after he died

(Newser) - The mother of a boy who died under suspicious circumstances was able to hear his heart beat again—inside the body of a 4-year-old girl. Heather Clark, who donated her son's organs after his death in 2013, visited the Phoenix family of donor recipient Jordan Drake for the emotional... More »

In Final Heroic Act, Man Donates Organs to Fellow Vets

In the final moments of Army veteran Matthew Whalen's life, a tribute

(Newser) - As Army veteran Matthew Whalen was wheeled down the halls of Plaza Fort Worth Medical Center in Texas in his final moments on Monday, current and former service members stood at attention in an emotional tribute. His wife, fellow veteran Hannah Whalen, said her final and tearful "I love... More »

Woman Finds Lifesaving Kidney Donor on ... Tinder?

Erika Bragan will receive kidney from friend's Tinder date on Nov. 18

(Newser) - Four people approached Erika Bragan hoping their kidney would be the one to save her life. None were matches. Then Rich O'Dea and Jennifer Thomas swiped right on Tinder. Now "we have a dating app to thank for saving my wife's life," Bragan's husband, Scott,... More »

Woman Gives Kidney to Stranger, Triggers a Chain Reaction

6 patients, 6 donors in rare series of linked transplants

(Newser) - In a rare series of interlinked operations, six patients are getting kidney transplants from six donors at a San Francisco hospital. Dr. William Bry, a surgeon at California Pacific Medical Center, said the "kidney paired donations" are occurring thanks to a woman who started a chain of donations and... More »

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