Transplant Center News & Multimedia

The Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center provides consultative services, treatment and surgical interventions to patients with a broad spectrum of diseases. Read about how our work impacts patient care.

Multimedia

  • Mass General Transplant Center

    A heart transplant patient story: Mike Slama

    For most of his life, Mike Slama has lived with a heart condition that could only be cured with transplantation. Listen to Mike share how his life changed when he received a new heart at the Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center.

  • Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center

    A story of organ donation: Frank and Johanne Bent

    Frank and Johanne Bents' lives changed forever following the tragic death of the their 27-year-old son, Josh. Brought to the Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center, the Bents made one of the most important decisions of their lives, organ and tissue donation.

  • Jennifer Searl

    Jennifer Searl talks about receiving a combined kidney and bone marrow transplant

    When Massachusetts General Hospital gave Jennifer Searl the world’s first non-HLA-matched combined kidney and bone marrow transplant in 2002, it was more than just a scientific breakthrough. For Searl, it was the beginning of a new life.

  • Celebrating 200 Years: 1811 - 2011

    Celebrating 200 Years: 1811 - 2011

    Since 1811, people have counted on Mass General for answers, innovations and medical leadership. As our third century dawns, we remain ready to serve.

  • Amy DeStefano

    Transplant Center patients share their stories

    Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center patients reflect on their journeys. Meet Amy DeStefano, the first person in New England to receive a heart transplant using the new "heart in a box" technology; Thomas DeRigo, who received a single lung transplant; and Andrew Johnson, who as a toddler received his mother's kidney.

  • thomas derigo single lung transplant

    Single lung transplant has Thomas Derigo playing golf

    Diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Thomas Derigo, a husband and father to two teenage girls, had only one option: lung transplantation. Under the expert care of his team at Mass General, Thomas’s transplantation was a success, giving him the ability to live life normally and do the things he loves the most.

  • andrew johnson pediatric kidney transplant

    The Johnsons: Mother donates kidney to toddler son

    An ultrasound at 19 weeks showed that Andrew Johnson would be born with kidney functionality complications. Fortunately for Andrew, his mother was a compatible donor, and when he was strong enough, Andrew underwent kidney transplantation at MassGeneral Hospital for Children Transplant Center. “Everyone was so nervous that day,” Tara Johnson states. “I was elated.”

  • amy destefano heart in a box transplant

    "Heart in a box" gives new life

    For two years, Amy DeStefano struggled with increasing heart complications, leaving her needing a heart transplantation. Through one of Mass General’s clinical trials, Amy became the first person in New England to receive a "heart in a box" transplant. The device circulates blood through the donated heart, keeping it beating and giving doctors more time to perform a transplant.

  • 3,000 Reasons to Celebrate

    3,000 Reasons to Celebrate

    Mary Anne, a health care professional, turned to Massachusetts General’s Transplant Program when she needed help. Her kidney transplant surgery, Massachusetts General’s 3,000th kidney transplant procedure, was reason to celebrate for many.

  • A Brother's Love

    A Brother's Love

    Meet Nicola and Steve, a brother and sister with an inspiring story. With the help of Massachusetts General’s Living Liver Donor program, Steve gave the gift of life and a happy future to his sister, Nicola.

  • Paying It Forward

    Paying it Forward

    While in college, Phil needed a liver transplant. He turned to Massachusetts General’s Transplant Program. Now he is an aspiring physician, and ready to pay it forward to others. See how Phil’s experience changed his life and future forever.

News

Currently Browsing:2019

Currently Browsing:2018

  • Alert, alive - but without a pulse

    Friday, November 30, 2018  Mass General

    Checking for a pulse is one way to determine if a person who has collapsed is alive. But what if the person is alert and talking but seemingly without the all-important beating vibration in the neck or wrist?

  • From the hospital to the Himalayas: One patient's journey

    Friday, November 2, 2018  Mass General

    South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation. The landlocked country in East-Central Africa was forged in the shadow of a 14-year bloody civil war. Amid this chaos, many dedicated individuals have helped refugees, including Bruce Parmelee of Binghamton, New York.

  • Transplanting experience, a patient gives back

    Friday, August 10, 2018  Mass General

    “At first, they didn’t know what it was,” says Karen Regan, 64, of Methuen, Massachusetts. “Yet my condition continued to deteriorate.”

  • Patient Story: Kidney Donation Saved Her Cousin's Life

    Friday, July 13, 2018  Mass General

    When Jeanette Bernard needed an urgent kidney transplant in January 2018, it was not a stranger from a donor list but her own cousin, Jill Palermo, who came to her aid.

  • Doctors Have Found a Way to Make Kidneys Infected by Hepatitis C Safe to Transplant

    Wednesday, April 25, 2018  Mass General

    Jason Lytle of Providence, RI, had been on dialysis for 2 years and lacked the energy to play with his 4-year-old daughter. He was helped by a new program at Mass General.

  • New heart for a new year: MGH marks 500th heart transplant

    Friday, January 26, 2018  Mass General

    Kevin Daignault, 55, says his wife, Susan, just happened to notice her smartphone light up in the early morning hours of Dec. 29, 2017, having somehow missed dozens of other urgent calls from a small office on Cox 6 at the MGH.

Currently Browsing:2017

  • A second chance to dance

    Friday, October 13, 2017  Mass General

    On May 6, Nick and Amanda Johnas had finished their first dance as a married couple when Amanda’s father stepped onto the dance floor for the father-daughter dance. As Bob Mulkern held Amanda close, Nick watched, knowing the moment could have been vastly different.

Currently Browsing:2016

  • Once again, named among America's best hospitals

    Tuesday, August 2, 2016  Mass General

    Massachusetts General Hospital is once again named among the top hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report and is the only hospital to be highly rated across all 16 specialties.

  • First penile transplant in the nation

    Friday, May 20, 2016  Mass General

    “Today, I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries, particularly for our service 
members who put their lives on the line and suffer serious damage as a 
result,” says Thomas Manning, 64, who, earlier this month, received the 
nation’s first penis transplant at the MGH. “If you tell the truth, you have 
nothing to worry about. I’m not ashamed at all.”

  • MGH patient hailed as a hero

    Friday, March 25, 2016  Mass General

    At the March 12 New England Revolution home opener, the team celebrated World Kidney Month by honoring Sandra Santos – one of the MGH’s living kidney donors – as the Hero of the Match. Santos received a standing ovation from the more than 8,000 soccer fans in attendance at Gillette Stadium.

  • Kidney Health Q&A with Winfred W. Williams, MD, Mass General nephrologist

    Tuesday, March 8, 2016  Mass General

    Nephrologist Winfred W. Williams, MD, explains why the kidneys are important, what causes kidney disease and how to keep the kidneys healthy.

Currently Browsing:2015

  • Jonathan's Story: Living Donor Transplant Program Gives Teen a Second Chance

    Friday, November 20, 2015  Mass General

    Jonathan Noon was born with a life-threatening liver disease that left him in need of a liver transplant. He received a second chance at life when his father, Jeff, donated half of his liver to Jonathan through the Living Donor Transplant Program at MGHfC.

  • Pedaling the path to a healthy future

    Friday, October 9, 2015  Mass General

    Completing a 200-mile bike ride in four days is no easy feat, especially not for a heart transplant recipient. However that is exactly what Harold Strope did to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his lifesaving surgery at the MGH.

  • #1 in the Nation

    Tuesday, July 21, 2015  Mass General

    U.S. News & World Report has named Massachusetts General Hospital the #1 hospital in the nation based on our quality of care, patient safety and reputation in 16 clinical specialties.

  • A new beginning

    Tuesday, May 19, 2015  Mass General

    Shea Hammond's story begins in 2006, when he was 16. At a time when most teens think about homework, hanging out with friends and dating, Hammond was focused on finding a donor for his failing kidneys.

  • Center for Transplantation Sciences: A new partnership

    Friday, January 9, 2015  Mass General

    The MGH Transplantation Biology Research Center and the Thier 8 Transplant Surgery Research Laboratory combined on Jan. 1 to form the Center for Transplantation Sciences.

Currently Browsing:2014

  • A second chance at life

    Friday, November 7, 2014  Mass General

    Living organ donors are a special group who have made the selfless choice to undergo surgery that is of no physical benefit to them.

  • A walk down the aisle on Ellison 9

    Friday, October 31, 2014  Mass General

    It was not part of their job description, but that did not stop nurses on the MGH Cardiac Intensive Care Unit from taking on the role of wedding planners so that a father could walk his daughter down the aisle.

  • Russell Museum Fall Lecture Series

    Thursday, September 11, 2014  Mass General

    All MGH Russell Museum lectures are open to the public. To register, please email mghhistory@partners.org.

  • Overcoming organ donation obstacles

    Friday, August 29, 2014  Mass General

    The MGH and the New England Organ Bank are critical allies in increasing organ donation.

  • Magic in the making

    Friday, August 8, 2014  Mass General

    David Oliver, a well-known magician from Weymouth, awaited a double lung transplant in the spring of 2014, close to death. When he arrived at the MGH, he had to undergo ambulatory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

  • The journey home

    Friday, August 1, 2014  Mass General

    Lacy Neff, a radio broadcaster from West Virginia, recently underwent a heart transplant as part of his treatment plan for amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when amyloid proteins accumulate in the organs. The MGH is one of only seven hospitals in the United States studying cardiac amyloid transplants – and the only one in the Northeast.

  • Lung in a box

    Friday, July 18, 2014  Mass General

    The MGH has become the first hospital in New England to successfully perform what’s being called a “lung-in-a-box” transplant.

  • #1 in New England, #2 in the nation

    Tuesday, July 15, 2014  Mass General

    U.S. News & World Report ranks Massachusetts General Hospital among the top hospitals in America based on our quality of care, patient safety and reputation in 16 specialties.

  • Donate Life Month designation

    Friday, April 18, 2014  Mass General

    April is now Donate Life month in Massachusetts.

  • Transplant Center has record year

    Friday, March 14, 2014  Mass General

    2013 was a record-breaking year for the MGH Transplant Center with 207 transplants performed.

  • New year, new lease on life

    Friday, January 10, 2014  Mass General

    When the call came in at 4 am, just before Christmas, Eric Fritz, 38, of Liverpool, N.Y., was so surprised he made the transplant coordinator tell him twice. After a year of waiting, he had a donor liver.

Currently Browsing:2013

Currently Browsing:2012

  • Transplant tolerance induction celebrates 10 years

    Friday, October 5, 2012  Mass General

    The 10th anniversary celebration of transplant tolerance induction brought together patients with their MGH physicians, nurses and other staff members involved in the program.

  • Cardiac ECMO survivors celebrate each other and MGH staff

    Friday, July 13, 2012  Mass General

    Seventeen MGH patients who experienced serious cardiac events received a second chance thanks in part to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a technique that oxygenates and removes carbon dioxide from the blood outside a patient’s body, allowing his or her damaged heart and lungs time to recover.

  • An MGH transplant miracle

    Friday, June 29, 2012  Mass General

    This marks the second time in the past 20 years that the MGH has performed a heart and liver transplant, also the second operation of its kind ever done in New England.

  • MGH hosts pioneer in HIV-positive organ transplant

    Friday, June 8, 2012  Mass General

    In many countries, including the United States, it is illegal to procure an organ for transplant from an HIV-infected person. But these laws may soon be reevaluated since it is now possible to better manage HIV and because the demand for organs far exceeds supply.

  • Kidney transplant patients meet their matches

    Tuesday, April 3, 2012  Mass General

    John Marzelli and Esperanza Yoblonsky were suffering from IgA nephropathy and both needed a new kidney; they found the answer in the Mass General Transplant Center’s internal exchange program.

  • Linked lives

    Friday, March 9, 2012  Mass General

    Chain 124. That’s the name of a record-breaking kidney transplant chain.

Currently Browsing:2011

  • Gaining ground in limb replacement surgery

    Friday, October 28, 2011  Mass General

    The first successful replantation of a human limb took place at the MGH in 1962. Now, nearly 50 years later, the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is in the process of reviewing potential candidates for the latest in medical advances – hand transplantation surgery.

  • Andrew Johnson Bounces Back After Kidney Transplant

    Friday, September 16, 2011  Mass General

    Toddler Andrew Johnson is thriving since receiving his mother’s kidney in a transplant at MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

  • SAC meeting

    Friday, April 22, 2011  Mass General

    The 64th meeting of the MGH Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) on April 14 celebrated key accomplishments of MGH investigators, past and present, and examined strategies for meeting the challenges currently facing the academic biomedical research community.

  • A grateful family thanks MGH Transplant Center staff

    Friday, April 15, 2011  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 4.15.11 When 35-year-old Eric Walker was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2006, the life of the once energetic husband and father of three young children changed completely.

  • Overcoming chronic kidney disease

    Monday, April 11, 2011  Mass General

    When 14-year-old Kassie Holmes was faced with going back on dialysis or receiving a kidney transplant, Avram Traum, MD, recommended a transplant regiment that did not include steroids.

Currently Browsing:2010

  • In General 12.17.10

    Friday, December 17, 2010  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 12.17.10 In General Awards and Honors

  • Transplant Center unfolds strategic vision and plan

    Friday, December 3, 2010  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 12.3.10 Members of the MGH Transplant Center gathered in the Bigelow Amphitheater Nov. 17 to hear Joren Madsen, MD, DPhil, director of the MGH Transplant Center; Jay A. Fishman, MD, associate director of the center; and Debra J. Doroni, MBA, executive director of the center and the Department of Surgery, unveil the Transplant Center's new strategic plan.

  • Conquering Organ Rejection

    Friday, December 3, 2010  Clinical

    A new breakthrough transplant procedure developed at Massachusetts General Hospital confirms that the problem of organ rejection after transplantation can be mitigated without using immunosuppressive drugs, sparing transplant recipients a lifetime of side effects.

  • Confronting Cold and Flu Season: Advice for Transplant Recipients

    Wednesday, November 3, 2010  Clinical

    Cold and flu season can be a tough time for organ transplant recipients. Mass General Transplant Center physician Camille Kotton, MD, offers advice on how to stay healthy during the winter months.

  • MGH joins study of new heart-assist device

    Friday, September 17, 2010  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 9.17.10 The MGH recently became the fifth site nationwide to participate in the study of an innovative rotary blood pump for late-stage heart failure patients.

  • MGH Transplant Center hosts inaugural golf tournament

    Friday, August 27, 2010  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 08.27.10 Nearly 100 golfers -- including MGH President Peter L. Slavin, MD; MGPO Chairman and CEO David F. Torchiana, MD; and Chief of the MGH Division of Transplantation James F. Markmann, MD, PhD -- took to the links at the Weston Golf Club July 12 for the inaugural MGH Transplant Center Golf Classic.

  • Chatting with Kimberly Parks, DO, of "Boston Med"

    Friday, August 6, 2010  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 08.06.10 Kimberly Parks, DO, a transplant cardiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center, is one of several physicians featured in "Boston Med."

Currently Browsing:2009

  • Transplant Center recognized for organ donation rate

    Tuesday, December 15, 2009  Mass General

    The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Transplant Center a Medal of Honor for its outstanding achievements in organ donation, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more eligible donors.

  • Mass General experts discuss diabetes

    Tuesday, November 3, 2009  Mass General

    Our physicians discuss the education, management and prevention of diabetes, a condition affecting nearly 24 million adults and children in the United States.

  • Transplant Center recognized as a leader in patient education

    Tuesday, September 8, 2009  Mass General

    Clinicians at the Transplant Center received a National Health Information Award for developing an outstanding patient education book and streamlining the patient evaluation process.

  • From transplant to triumph

    Monday, August 24, 2009  Mass General

    Seven years after undergoing a groundbreaking transplant procedure developed at Massachusetts General Hospital, Jennifer Searl competes in her third World Transplant Games in Australia.

  • A strongman's second chance

    Thursday, June 4, 2009  Clinical

    In 2008, the Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center completed the most heart transplants in the region. Personal trainer and strongman competitor, Jim Murphy, is one shining example of the great successes of the program.

  • Transplant Center patients and donor families celebrate National Donate Life Month

    Wednesday, April 29, 2009  Mass General

    The Transplant Center celebrated Donate Life Month by raising public awareness about the importance of organ donation and also extending thanks to the many organ donors and families who have given the generous gift of life to others.

  • Martin awards honor top MGH basic and clinical research published in 2008

    Friday, March 6, 2009  Mass General

    MGH Hotline 3.06.09 Two MGH research teams received the first annual Joseph B. Martin Research Awards at the Feb. 11 Celebration of Science Colloquium dinner held in conjunction with the annual Scientific Advisory Committee meeting.

  • Continuing the legacy

    Friday, January 9, 2009  Research

    MGH Hotline 010909 Willard M. Daggett, MD, retired MGH cardiac surgeon and founder of the MGH Laboratory of Surgical Cardiovascular Physiologic Research, mentored hundreds of surgical trainees during his 50-year career at the MGH.

Currently Browsing:2008

  • New procedure, new life

    Monday, December 1, 2008  Clinical

    Eight years ago, Jennifer Searl used a handicapped permit to get around campus at the University of New Hampshire. Last October, Searl, 26, ran a half-marathon and felt so good afterward she immediately signed up for another. In between these two extremes lies not only a journey of a thousand steps, but one taken along a path Searl herself blazed - with help from the Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center.

  • Massachusetts General Hospital ranked on U.S. News national honor roll

    Wednesday, June 11, 2008  Mass General

    The third oldest general hospital in the United States and the oldest and largest hospital in New England, Mass General continues its tradition of excellence today. The hospital is consistently ranked among the top five hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. In 2008, Mass General was redesignated a Magnet hospital, the highest honor for nursing excellence awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

  • Body building

    Monday, March 3, 2008  Research

    If a starfish loses an arm, it simply grows another. If a salamander's tail is severed, a new one develops. Regrettably, humans lack such an astonishing capacity to regenerate tissue or organs that are lost or rendered useless because of disease, injury or birth abnormalities.

Press Releases

Currently Browsing:2017

Currently Browsing:2016

Currently Browsing:2014

Currently Browsing:2012

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