Welcome to Telecare Choice’s monthly news round-up. This month we discuss the first pig to human heart transplant, mourn the loss of Meat Loaf, and have a chuckle at a case of mistaken identity.
Pig Heart Transplanted into Man
In the first operation of its kind, a man in the US city of Baltimore has been fitted with a pig’s heart. The genetically modified organ had been purged of genes that would cause the human body to reject it.
David Bennet, the recipient of the heart, was 57 at the time of the transplant. He was suffering from terminal heart disease, and without the transplant would have died, having been deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant. It was a decision not made lightly, as there were high risks of complications. Mr Bennet, however, described it as his “last choice”. He was going to die if it didn’t happen, so it was worth trying.
He is in good health since the operation, though how much his life has been extended by awaits to be seen.
Ethical questions have been raised regarding the operation, but doctors argue that using animal organs could address the worldwide organ shortage. In the UK alone, 470 people died whilst waiting for a transplant.
Meat Loaf Passes Away
Sadly, January marked the loss of a rock legend: Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday. He was 74 at the time of his passing.
Meat Loaf is well known for his unique musical style, best characterised in the hit song “Bat Out of Hell”. A true performer, Meat Loaf performed on many tours, even when his health wasn’t at its best. He brought joy to his audiences and friends and was known to be a very kind person.
In the 1990s he had further success with the song “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”, and in 2006 he recorded a cover of Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” alongside Marion Raven.
Some will know Meat Loaf as Eddie from the Rocky Horror Show, a role he later reprised for the movie adaptation. This was not his only big screen role, however. He also joined the cast of Fight Club, acting alongside Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.
A powerful figure, Meat Loaf is not a man who will soon be forgotten. Have a listen to Bat Out of Hell to remember the power of his voice.
Chair Mistaken for Swan
The RSPCA has been busy over the past year, but not all callouts were as serious as first thought. One case saw a RSPCA investigator attend the River Stout in Dorset. Heavy rains had caused the river to break its banks, and a passer-by saw something white tangled in a fence.
Fearing that a swan had got itself caught, she called the RSPCA, asking them to help. However, when the investigator arrived, they found that the “swan in peril” was, in fact, a garden chair.
According to the RSPCA, they get multiple callouts a year that result in cases of mistaken identity. These include concerns that ornaments, stuffed toys, and even pieces of furniture are animals in distress. However, people’s willingness to report what they believe to be animals in need of help is reassuring. If in doubt, it is always best to call. Whilst this was a false alarm, there are animals in need all over the country.
