A few weeks ago, Lisa Pizzano was near death,
in desperate need of a heart and kidney transplant.
But because of how sick she was,
she was not a candidate for traditional transplant.
So her doctors came to her with a novel approach,
a mechanical pump for her heart paired with a new
kidney from a genetically modified pig.
I said I said yes because I didn't have any
other.
I really didn't. I was at,
I was at the end of my rope.
So I just took a chance and,
you know, worst case scenario,
if it didn't work for me,
it might have worked for someone else and it could
have helped the next person or the next person.
When we were able to,
you know, offer another option other than just palliative care,
she was excited.
She knew that this was experimental,
that we couldn't in any way guarantee that it was
going to be successful,
but she wanted to try it.
It's like being in a maze and you can't find
a way out.
And we found a way through that maze,
which was to use an organ that we could immediately
get from the pig.
To get her off dialysis and then make her a
candidate for a heart pump in a timely fashion where
she could survive it.
This experiment is the latest in a string of attempts
to make animal to human organ transplants a reality.
Pizzano is the second person to receive a pig kidney
following a Boston area man's transplant in March.
Who's at home and doing well five weeks post transplant?
I felt desolate before.
Like I just didn't know.
I didn't know the UPS,
the downs. I didn't know,
you know, where I was going,
where I was headed.
So this gives me this gave me an opportunity at
a second chance.
SO and I took it.
It's been transformative. I mean,
she's a different person. She was so I'll that when
she came in,
she had a couple of cardiac arrest,
you know, that's how close to death she was.
If you feel good, you can kind of start shifting
your hip side to side and seeing if we can,
Yep, do a little dance.
10 days after her kidney transplant,
Pizzano stood with a group of physical therapists and took
her first steps.
Good and back just 'cause we're the lines are he's
coming,
he's coming, he's coming.
I want to spend time with my grandkids.
Do stuff with them.
Run around with a dog.
Can't just sit here and do nothing for it,
do you?