A 62-year-old man passed away after getting a special kidney from a pig. His name was Rick Slayman. Doctors gave him the pig kidney because his own kidneys were very sick. He got the new kidney in March at a hospital in Massachusetts. But sadly, he died later.
Doctors hoped the new kidney would help Rick for many years, but they weren’t sure because this was the first time they used a pig kidney on a person. The hospital said Rick’s death wasn’t because of the new kidney.
Rick’s family and the hospital said he was very brave. They thanked him for being willing to try new things to help other sick people. Rick’s family said he was a good person who helped a lot of people. They will always remember him with love.
Rick had been sick for many years before getting the pig kidney. He had a kidney transplant from a person in 2018, but that kidney started to fail, so he needed dialysis again.
Before Rick, only two other people had gotten pig organs. Both of them got pig hearts, but they died soon after.
The company that made the pig kidney thanked Rick and his family for being brave. They promised to keep working to help more sick people with new organs.
Rick’s family also thanked the doctors and nurses who took care of him. They said Rick wanted to give hope to other sick people, and he did. His memory will inspire many people.
