Rick Slayman, 62, the recipient of the world’s inaugural pig kidney transplant, is set to return home from Massachusetts General Hospital on Wednesday, almost two weeks post-surgery. The hospital announced that Slayman will proceed with his recovery in his residence in Weymouth.
“This moment – leaving the hospital today with one of the cleanest bills of health I’ve had in a long time – is one I wished would come for many years. Now, it’s a reality and one of the happiest moments of my life,” said Slayman in a statement.
He expressed his gratitude towards all the doctors and nurses who provided him with exceptional care. “The level of care I received was outstanding, and I have complete confidence in the physicians of the Mass General Brigham health system. I am eager to reunite with my family, friends, and loved ones, liberated from the burden of dialysis that has impacted my quality of life for many years.”
At the time of the transplant on March 21, Slayman was battling end-stage kidney disease, along with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. He had undergone a human kidney transplant in 2018, but it began to fail five years later.
According to Mass General, this transplant marked the first instance of a pig kidney being transplanted into a living human patient. The hospital specified that the kidney was donated by eGenesis in Cambridge and underwent genetic editing to eliminate harmful pig genes. Additionally, certain human genes were introduced to enhance its compatibility.
In his message, Slayman claimed that his recuperation was “progressing smoothly” and that he was grateful to all of the well-wishers, including other patients who were in the waiting room for a kidney transplant.
“Today marks a new beginning not just for me, but for them, as well,” said Slayman in his statement.
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