Latest news with #KarenAndrews
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
He was tired of just surviving. A pig kidney gave him a shot at living
Tim Andrews' wife, Karen, said she "started bawling like a baby" after his successful pig kidney transplant. Tim Andrews knew that he needed dialysis to manage his end-stage kidney disease, but over months of treatment, he started to wonder whether it was worth it. He was exhausted and hopeless. He missed his grandkids. It kept him alive, but it didn't feel like living. Desperate for another option, he found a surprising alternative: an organ from a pig. Andrews, 67, is a pioneer of a new kind of medicine. In January, he had an experimental cross-species transplant of a kidney from a genetically modified pig. He is one of only a handful of patients who have undergone the experimental procedure. For now, he's the lone person in the United States known to be living with a pig kidney. Andrews knew that there was a risk to trying something so new, but if the kidney gave him just one more day free from dialysis, it was worth it — for him and for fellow patients. 'This will do something for humanity,' Andrews said. 'Pick a box' Andrews had been living with diabetes since the 1990s, managing the condition with insulin. About 2½ years ago, he went to the doctor feeling unusually tired. Tests showed that he had stage 3 kidney failure — his kidneys were still working but less efficiently than they should. He was relieved to learn that it was manageable with medication, monitoring and lifestyle changes. But about a month later, a doctor delivered more bad news: Andrews' kidney disease had rapidly progressed to end-stage disease. Dialysis was the only option to keep him alive until he could get an organ transplant. Dialysis is highly effective at cleaning the blood, but it places a 'huge burden' on the body, Andrews' doctors told CNN. At first, Andrews thought it was going well. But about six months in, he had a heart attack. 'It takes a toll on you, emotionally and physically,' said Andrews, who lives in New Hampshire. He was tempted to forgo dialysis entirely until a doctor warned that if he did so, he should 'pick a box.' With the state his kidneys were in, his body would be in it within a couple months. For six hours, three days a week, he kept at it. On days off, he'd sleep. By the time he woke up, he'd have to start the process all over again. When he thinks about his experience with dialysis, Andrews appreciates what the doctors and nurses did to keep him alive. But when he kept having to sit in that oversized green chair hooked up to the dialysis machine, the whole situation hurt his spirit, too. He was too tired to walk or get groceries. He couldn't eat. Even in the few hours he felt OK, his immune system was so weak that he had to avoid crowds. Dialysis meant no more Red Sox games, no more fun with grandchildren, no more travel. As the hours ticked past, he couldn't think about gratitude. All he could think about was death. The dialysis side effects got so bad that he wanted to quit, but his wife, Karen, wouldn't let him. He also kept hearing his father's voice in his mind, telling him to stop complaining and start doing something about his situation. 'I know what end-stage means' Andrews learned that his odds of getting a human kidney donation were not good. Nearly 90,0000 people are on the waiting list for a kidney in the US. Most don't get a transplant because they become too sick or die while waiting for a match. Andrews' chances were slimmer than most because of his rare blood type. People typically wait about three to five years for a donor kidney. For him, it would likely be seven to 10 years. Doctors thought his body could take only five years of dialysis. 'I was a little short there,' Andrews said. 'I know what end-stage means.' But his research gave him hope. Massachusetts General Hospital was also investigating animal alternatives. He demanded that the hospital liaison put him in touch with one of the doctors from that project: Dr. Leonardo Riella, medical director of kidney transplantation at Mass General. When they first met, Andrews was 'very frail,' Riella said. He arrived in a wheelchair. But when Riella mentioned what's known as xenotransplantation — transplants using genetically modified pig organs — Andrews' eyes 'sparked.' 'He said 'Tell me what I need to do.'' Riella told Andrews he'd need to get a lot stronger if he wanted a transplant of any kind. 'They said, 'Prepare your body for battle,' ' Andrews' wife, Karen, remembered. For the next few months, Andrews went to the gym and physical therapy, got his teeth fixed, got several vaccines and lost 22 pounds. When he went back to the clinic a few months later, Riella said, Andrews was 'almost running around the room.' He talked to people about the procedure. He prayed. His wife, Karen, also had to agree: If they got the green light, she would need to sign consent papers. On the slim chance he got a virus from the organ, she'd be exposed to it, too. 'I was a little taken aback by that,' Karen said. But she didn't have any doubt that this transplant, though unusual, was the right way to go. 'It has to be better than dialysis,' she said. 'He was just feeling so awful all the time.' A new birthday In January, it was finally time. On surgery day, his family hugged and kissed him good-bye. Karen gave him a high-five and wished him luck. The procedure was supposed to take four hours, but only about two hours and 15 minutes in, Karen said, her phone rang. The doctors were done early and said it went 'unbelievably well.' A team of doctors told Karen that they had successfully attached the genetically modified pig kidney alongside Andrews' nonfunctioning organ. 'They put the kidney on the table and started connecting him to the kidney, and he actually peed across the room,' Karen said, laughing. Everyone in the operating room started cheering. 'Of course, I started bawling like a baby,' Karen said. It all happened so fast that even the doctors who did the surgery were surprised. 'It worked right away, and the numbers started getting better,' Riella said. After waking up from surgery, Andrews felt 'reenergized and revitalized.' 'I was alive, and I hadn't been in a long time,' he said. He hopped off the bed and tap-danced across the room, he said. His mind felt clear. 'It was a miracle,' Andrews said. So much so, he declared that he had a new birthday. 'I said 'look at me, it's like I'm like a new man,' ' he said. 'It's like new birth. I said, 'I've got a new birthday. 1/25/25 is my new birthday.' ' 'Now I can do anything I want' After the transplant, Andrews spent a week in the hospital but only out of an abundance of caution. In the months since, he's had a few 'small bumps in the road,' including a three-week hospital stay. But the pig kidney does what a kidney from a living human donor would do. Life is returning to normal. Andrews cooks, vacuums and takes long walks with his dog, Cupcake. He currently takes more than 50 pills every day as the doctors try to figure out the type of medications he'll need with his new kidney. But living without dialysis has made such a difference. 'Basically, I was just sleeping, sick all the time. Now I can do anything I want,' Andrews said. He even lets himself picture a future. He can't wait to see his grandkids again. 'They saw me at the lowest, and now they'll be able to see me alive and laughing and carrying on like Grandpa does,' Andrews said. If all goes well, he hopes to take Karen to Europe in a year. He said they've put it off far too long. 'It's a learning curve' Still, Andrews knows that the pig kidney may not work long-term. He's still on the wait list for a human organ. If the pig kidney can act as a bridge that keeps him healthy enough to wait for a match from a human donor, that would be a medical first — and a success. Andrews is the fourth living patient in the US to get a genetically modified pig kidney transplant, and he won't be the last. In addition to the ongoing trial at Mass General in conjunction with biotech firm eGenesis, United Therapeutics Corp – the other main biotech company helping create the pig kidneys – announced in February that it would be allowed to start its own clinical trials with New York University. In March 2024, Richard Slayman became the first living patient in the world to get a genetically modified pig kidney. The operation at Mass General went well, but he died two months later from causes not related to the transplant. Doctors said they learned a lot from their experience with Slayman. He had scarring on his heart after eight years of dialysis, Riella said, and it's probably important to get patients like Andrews, who haven't needed dialysis as long. In April 2024, Lisa Pisano became the first person to receive a mechanical heart pump as well as a gene-edited pig kidney. The organ failed due to limited blood flow and was removed the next month. She died in July 2024. Then, in November 2024, NYU transplanted 53-year-old Towana Looney with a genetically modified pig kidney. It functioned for four months and nine days, the longest yet, but doctors had to remove it in April when her immune system started to reject it. Figuring out how to manage rejection is going to be key, doctors say. The pig kidneys Andrews and Slayman got had 69 genomic edits, while Looney's had fewer. Doctors say they still don't know how many edits are necessary, but both versions of the modified pig kidneys had pig genes removed and human genes added to make the organ more compatible with the human body. Patients also receive anti-rejection drugs and wearable remote monitoring tools. But doctors still are figuring out how much medicine and monitoring is needed. 'It is a learning curve,' Riella said. Riella is hopeful xenotransplantation may one day solve the world's organ shortage. 'I think patients like Tim will be remembered as heroes,' he said. 'Without them willing to take the risk, we wouldn't be able to move this to the clinic.' Andrews remembers what it felt like to have to make the choice. But he also remembers what it was like to sit for hours at the dialysis center. 'It's hard to come to terms with mortality. You think 'ah, I can handle that' and everything, but it's tough,' he said recently, back in the green chair where he underwent dialysis. 'It was very tough to realize that was it. 'I was going to die in this building.' He found a way out. He hopes his story will inspire others to look for hope, too. 'I see way too many people give up,' Andrews said. 'Don't give up.'
ABC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Karen Andrews's retirement opens up competition in Gold Coast seat of McPherson
The Gold Coast seat of McPherson has always been conservative. But among the city's three long-held beachfront Liberal seats, it may have the greatest appetite for an alternative. "Of all the seats on the Gold Coast, McPherson is the one where the Greens do particularly well," said former Queensland Labor politician John Mickel. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on The Greens achieved 15.4 per cent of the vote in McPherson in the 2022 federal election, when the so-called teal independents had a national impact. Karen Andrews served as home affairs minister in the Morrison government. ( ABC News: Andrew Kennedy ) But this election has come with the retirement of former home affairs minister Karen Andrews after 15 years representing the seat for the LNP. Mr Mickel said independents could take advantage of her departure amid a broader swing "I can understand why an independent is having a red hot go at it," said the political commentator and Queensland University of Technology adjunct associate professor. Away from major parties McPherson constituent Matilda Morgan said she usually voted for the Liberal Party. But the 34-year-old artist said both major parties seemed "pretty much the same" ahead of this year's election. Matilda Morgan paints at Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast. ( ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale ) "They're saying the same things [but] in different words," she said. Ms Morgan, who lives in her van, said she had not seen any radical change from the major parties. "It's really hard to be a young person in this day and age when it comes to cost of living, inflation and finding work," she said. Currumbin Beach is in the federal seat of McPherson. ( ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale ) Mr Mickel said Ms Morgan's age group had demonstrated Photo shows A young woman wears her blond hair tied up and a brown jumper as she smiles at the camera While younger Australians are tuning out of politics, researchers say people aged in their 30s to early 40s are the most disengaged group. With about 38 per cent of the McPherson electorate aged 15-44, he said it was a significant demographic. "It is currently a death zone for the major parties," Mr Mickel said. "This is a group, the younger groups, who are no longer attached to the major parties and look for alternatives. "In McPherson this time, they've got plenty of them." Housing in focus Ms Morgan is the type of voter the LNP's Leon Robello and Climate 200 independent Erchana Murray-Bartlett are aiming to attract. The two are among the highest-profile candidates in a busy field. They both said housing was a key concern. Leon Robello (left) takes a photo with volunteers at Palm Beach. ( Supplied: Instagram ) Mr Rebello, 29, said he recently bought his first home. "In the last five years I've rented, I've bought my first home, I've gone through that and seen it from different perspectives and I understand the challenges," he said. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Ms Murray-Bartlett said she did not own a home in the electorate she wanted to represent. "We need more affordable homes on the Gold Coast," said the ultra-marathon runner, who has leveraged her 39,000 Instagram followers during the campaign. "I'm a renter on the Gold Coast, I don't own a home, and so making sure renters are just as looked after is just as important." Erchana Murray-Bartlett is the Climate 200 independent candidate for McPherson. ( Supplied: Instagram ) Long list of candidates They are among 12 candidates for McPherson, up from eight in the 2022 election. Alongside independent Michelle Faye, the minor parties include One Nation, the Greens, Trumpet of Patriots, Legalise Cannabis, Animal Justice, the Libertarians, People First and Family First. Photo shows An election sign of Wil Anderson in a neighbourhood with a dog urinating on it with Gruen Nation Election edition and iview. It's election season and politicians are trying to sell you the world. The team at Gruen isn't about to buy it. They're taking a big swing at the election, showing you how the democracy sausage is made, all the sizzle and none of the meat. Griffith University associate professor of politics, Paul Williams, said the LNP should retain the seat easily but "might go backwards a couple of percentage points". "There are four or five, what you'd call hard right, even far right candidates in that field," he said. "They'll get a very small percentage of the vote but those preferences will filter up to the LNP." Associate Professor Williams said many voters felt the major parties were not solving problems and that independents contesting safe seats such as McPherson had become the new norm. "It's about flying the flag, it's about building support," he said. Matilda Morgan paints at Currumbin Beach. ( ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale ) "You've got to start somewhere, you've got to take losses, you've got to build credibility." Ms Morgan was skeptical of whether the shift away from major parties would make a difference. "They'll do the election thing, but then does it actually make waves when they're elected?" she said. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
