Two Year Anniversary of Groundbreaking Organ Transplant Surgery
by Raina Jain
Posted on April 12, 2013
This week, Meredith Moore, 45, celebrated the second anniversary of her successful 6-organ transplant surgery.
In 2009, Moore was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which progressed despite treatment with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She then contacted Dr. Tomoaki Kato, chief surgeon of abdominal organ transplants at New York- Presbytarian Hospital. Kato is famous for pioneering a technique, the ‘ex-vivo’ resection, which involves the removal of a patient’s organs, removal of cancerous cells, and then re-placement of the cancer-free organs back into the body. Previous to Moore’s case, Dr. Kato had successfully transplanted one or two organs, but had to remove six of Moore’s organs to completely eradicate the cancer: the pancreas, stomach, spleen, gall bladder, liver and portions of her intestines.
On June 5, 2011, the risky procedure took place. Three teams of surgeons worked in rotations and only two organs were returned to Moore’s body. After the surgery, Moore survived off a feeding tube and even now, she is unable to work. However, she is grateful for the years of life she has gained and has been able to spend with her children.
