After a record 271 days, the American's kidney is removed

Tim Andrews of New Hampshire took the transplant in January, but surgeons at Mass General Brigham removed the organ Thursday due to a decline in kidney function.

Andrews, 67, was the fourth surviving U.S. patient to receive a kidney transplant from a pig that had been genetically modified to help prevent organ rejection and other complications.

Andrews, who had had had diabetes since the 1990s, learned about three years ago that there were kidney disease at the last stage. Dialysis saved his life, but the process was exhausting: He was connected to cars for six hours, three days a week. On rest days, he slept. When he woke up, he had to start the process over, reports CNN

Andrews knew it was dangerous to try a xenotransplant transplanting an organ into a human body but said that if it could keep it out of the dial and help other people with kidney problems, it was worth it.

In CNN documentary “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Anmal Pharm”, he said the pig's kidney left him feeling revived and revived.

I was alive and had not long been there”, Andrews said, calling the transplant “a miracle”.

With the pig's kidney, he said he was slowly rebuilding his life. He's been able to cook, clean up and take long walks with his dog.

In a statement Monday, Mass General Brigham called Andrews a self - sacrificing medical <x0-computer and an inspiration for the world-wide kidney failure patients”.

Andrews posted on Facebook on Saturday that “ky was a punitive journey filled with unknowns and surprises”. He added that “had experimental drugs that had some unexpected side effects”, but for the nine months he was able to live with pig kidney, he said, “I'm proud of everything we found, learned, and experienced”.