Pig Kidney Transplant at MGH Gives Patient Second Chance at Life

Tim Andrews never considered himself a trailblazer. Yet today, he is only the second patient at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to undergo a pig kidney transplant.

Andrews, who endured more than two years on dialysis due to end-stage kidney disease, underwent xenotransplantation, a groundbreaking pig kidney transplant from a genetically edited pig, at MGH on Jan. 25. He was aware that doctors at MGH had completed the procedure only one time before and that he'd become only the fourth person in the world to receive a pig kidney transplant. Only one of those individuals is still alive.

"It really came down to do it for the hope," he said in an interview with WCVB NewsCenter 5 Boston. "Do it for the hope — the hope you're going to give people."

After receiving the transplant, Andrews said he could feel the change in his energy level. Dr. Leo Riella, medical director of kidney transplantation at MGH, has remained at the forefront of research on this xenotransplantation procedure and is pleased with Andrews' progress.

"Tim is doing amazingly well," Riella said. "We just passed the one-month mark, and he's at home. He's off dialysis; his energy's back. We couldn't be in a better place."

Tim and his wife Karen understand that the procedure is experimental and many unknowns lie ahead. Still, the couple remains committed to celebrating the milestones where they can. Andrews looks forward to spending quality time with his grandchildren while thinking about his future, including future travel plans to Italy with his wife.

He shared a message for anyone waiting to receive a transplant: "Don't give up. Push on. There is hope out there. It's coming."