Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Dose Of Upbeat And Inspiring News
The Washington Post: Man Sits With Chairs And His Sign: ‘You Are Not Alone. I Will Listen.’
Paul Jenkinson isn’t a therapist. He doesn’t write in a notebook, charge by the hour or offer solutions. Instead, he sits in parks, coffee shops and community centers, with a sign that says: “You are not alone. I will listen.” Jenkinson, 70, is a retired social worker from Nova Scotia, and he is on what he calls a “listening tour” across Canada. (Page, 5/17)
CNN: A Man Had Heart Attack Symptoms On A Flight. A Cardiologist And A Pocket-Sized Tool On Board May Have Helped Save His Life
Oklahoma cardiologist Dr. TJ Trad was fast asleep on his flight from Uganda last month when a member of his team woke him up to say someone needed a doctor. (Galgano, 5/18)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: The Gathering Place Launches HOPE, A Mobilized Help Center For Those Impacted By Cancer
The Gathering Place, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting individuals and families impacted by cancer, has long been a source of hope for those they serve. Now it has launched a physical, made-to-move embodiment of HOPE. (Piorkowski, 5/13)
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The New York Times: Surgeons Perform First Human Bladder Transplant
Surgeons in Southern California have performed the first human bladder transplant, introducing a new, potentially life-changing procedure for people with debilitating bladder conditions. The operation was performed earlier this month by a pair of surgeons from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California on a 41-year-old man who had lost much of his bladder capacity from treatments for a rare form of bladder cancer. (Baumgaertner Nunn, 5/18)
AP: Daughter Says Mom 'Gave Me Life Twice' With Kidney Donation As Pair Graduate Nursing School Together
For years, Ambrealle Brown was forced to put her dreams of becoming a nurse on hold due to a life-threatening kidney disease that left her temporarily incapacitated. Amid inner doubts about whether she would ever return to living a normal life, Brown’s mother stepped in and offered to donate her kidney. Doctors performed Louisiana’s first robotic kidney transplant, giving Brown a renewed chance at life and Nija Butler the opportunity to see her daughter thrive. Nearly two years after the successful transplant, the Louisiana mother and daughter shared another journey. Donning white caps and gowns, they walked across the stage together in Baton Rouge and graduated from nursing school. (Cline and Smith, 5/9)
CNN: He Was Tired Of Just Surviving. A Pig Kidney Gave Him A Shot At Living
Tim Andrews knew that he needed dialysis to manage his end-stage kidney disease, but over months of treatment, he started to wonder whether it was worth it. He was exhausted and hopeless. He missed his grandkids. It kept him alive, but it didn’t feel like living. Desperate for another option, he found a surprising alternative: an organ from a pig. (Christensen, 5/14)
CNN: At The Forefront Of Organ Transplants, Patients Are The Pioneers
The story of transplants has always been one of altruism. After all, organs can be neither sold nor purchased. They can only be donated as a gift of life. It is a story that started in 1954, when Dr. Joseph Murray performed the world’s first successful organ transplant at Boston’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital between identical twin brothers Ronald and Richard Herrick. (Gupta, 5/16)
