Organ Transplants

U.S. doctors have transplanted a pig heart into a patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life — a first for medical science

Dr. Kim Olthoff of Penn Transplant Institute talked to NBC10 about the deep downtown in organ donations and transplants during the coronavirus pandemic, and what is happening now.

When it comes to organ transplants, one person can save the lives of up to eight people. That’s why Howard Nathan, who leads the Gift of Life program, thinks it’s so important to foster donations. NBC10 talks with Nathan and with Taylor Dyer, a 12-year-old organ recepient and athlete, about the program.

Miss America’s Outstanding Teen winner, London Hibbs, is here to encourage young people to consider being organ donors. Dr. Jamie Wells, director of medicine at the American Council on Science and Health, discusses the common misconceptions there are with donating an organ.

Gov. John Carney is signing legislation aimed at ensuring that individuals with mental and physical disabilities are not denied access to organ transplant procedures based solely on their disability.

In 1978, a research specialist at the Wistar Institute decided to respond to a help-wanted ad from a Philadelphia organ procurement organization seeking a transplant coordinator.