Man Receives Second Ever Pig Heart Transplant
My father turned 81 yesterday. To me, this is somewhat of a miracle. Pop had a massive heart attack the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college. At that time, he had opening heart surgery with multiple bypasses performed. His bypasses have now outlasted the careers of the doctors that performed the operation. Every day that I still have my dad is a great one.
Anyway, because of my father, I’ve always been fascinated by heart surgery. So, the story of Lawrence Faucette this weekend made me sit up and take notice. Faucette is 58 years old and is in the end stages of heart disease. Over the weekend, he became the second recipient of a pig heart transplant to prolong his life.
Dr. Bartley Griffith (University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore) tells US News and World Report, “We are once again offering a dying patient a shot at a longer life, and we are incredibly grateful to Mr. Faucette for his bravery and willingness to help advance our knowledge of this field.”
This is the second such procedure that Dr. Griffith and his team has performed (the first was in January 2022). Although life expectations and optimism for a long life are realistic, his family is pleased to just get some more time with Faucette. The retired 20 year Navy veteran is currently breathing on his own and his heart is functioning without the aid of supportive devices.
A miracle indeed. His family may not get the time post-op that I’ve gotten from my dad, but every day they do get, is a great one.
A, B, and C Hospital Safety Grades Here's How North Carolina Hospitals Scored
No one likes going to the hospital. Many times you don’t plan on it either. But when you need to go, you want the absolute best care you can receive. And you certainly want that experience to be safe. That’s why The LeapFrog Group has made it the company’s mission to help you make the best decisions regarding your health care. For over 20 years they have “collected, analyzed, and published hospital data on safety and quality in order to push the health care industry forward.” This puts a sense of transparency into the healthcare industry leading to higher quality of care and hospitals making “giant leaps forward in the safety, quality, and affordability.”
And The LeapFrog Group just released its 2023 Hospital Safety Grades. They have ranked each hospital in the nation as either an A, B, C. You can read the full methodology on these scores here. Most of the Charlotte area hospitals received A grades though a few did receive B and even C grades. Does this mean you won’t get good care? No. But it’s information consumers have a right to know. All grades are the determination of The LeapFrog Group and you can view those and ones from any other city and state in the US here.
The LeapFrog Group Hospital Safety Grades North Carolina
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.
