Stormie Jones: Difference between revisions
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==Transplant== |
==Transplant== |
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On February 14, 1984, under the direction of Dr. Starzl, Drs. Byers W. Shaw Jr. and [[Henry T. Bahnson]] replaced the six-year-old's heart and liver at the [[UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh|Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh]] in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="nytimes">New York Times. February 20, 1990. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0CE5DA143FF933A15751C0A966958260 New Liver for Stormie Jones]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> |
On February 14, 1984, under the direction of Dr. Starzl, Drs. Byers W. Shaw Jr. and [[Henry T. Bahnson]] replaced the six-year-old's heart and liver at the [[UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh|Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh]] in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="nytimes">New York Times. February 20, 1990. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0CE5DA143FF933A15751C0A966958260 New Liver for Stormie Jones]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> The case showed that the liver controls blood cholesterol and that high cholesterol is controllable,<ref name="find">Findagrave.com [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6916650 Stormie Dawn Jones]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> and was part of the research on cholesterol and the liver that won [[Joseph L. Goldstein]] and [[Michael S. Brown]] the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel prize in medicine]] in 1985.<ref name="million"/><ref name=" YOUNG TEXAS"/> Stormie died on November 11, 1990.<ref name="cbs">CBSNews.com. [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/transplants/timeline.html Transplant History]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> Her death was related to rejection of the heart transplant she had received in 1984.<ref name="death">New York Times. November 17, 1990. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE0D81231F934A25752C1A966958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fC%2fChildren%20and%20Youth Girl's Death Linked to Transplant Rejection]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> |
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and the resultant high levels of [[low density lipoprotein]] that damaged her organs, gave her two heart attacks when she was six years old.<ref name="YOUNG TEXAS">New York Times. October 15, 1985. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A01E7DF1E39F936A25753C1A963948260 Young Texas transplant patient is among many aided by Nobel research]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> The case showed that the liver controls blood cholesterol and that high cholesterol is controllable,<ref name="find">Findagrave.com [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6916650 Stormie Dawn Jones]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> and was part of the research on cholesterol and the liver that won [[Joseph L. Goldstein]] and [[Michael S. Brown]] the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel prize in medicine]] in 1985.<ref name="million"/><ref name=" YOUNG TEXAS"/> Stormie died on November 11, 1990.<ref name="cbs">CBSNews.com. [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/transplants/timeline.html Transplant History]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> Her death was related to rejection of the heart transplant she had received in 1984.<ref name="death">New York Times. November 17, 1990. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE0D81231F934A25752C1A966958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fC%2fChildren%20and%20Youth Girl's Death Linked to Transplant Rejection]. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.</ref> |
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There were very specific reasons for performing a combined heart and liver transplant in this young girl. Due to her inherited condition, Stormie's liver was unable to remove cholesterol, i.e. [[LDL-cholesterol]], from her bloodstream. As a result, her LDL-cholesterol levels became very high and caused her two heart attacks by age six. On the other hand, the transplanted liver, being normal and healthy, was able to clear the LDL-cholesterol from her blood. Indeed, after the transplant, Stormie's LDL-cholesterol declined by 81%—from an astounding 988 to a near-normal 184 mg per deciliter.<ref>New England Journal of Medicine. December 27, 1984. [http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/26/1658 Liver transplantation to provide low-density-lipoprotein receptors and lower plasma cholesterol in a child with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia]</ref> Since she was going to require lifelong [[immunosuppressant]] therapy anyway to prevent rejection of her transplanted liver, and since her heart had been severely damaged by her previous heart attacks, it was decided to also perform a heart transplant. |
There were very specific reasons for performing a combined heart and liver transplant in this young girl. Due to her inherited condition, Stormie's liver was unable to remove cholesterol, i.e. [[LDL-cholesterol]], from her bloodstream. As a result, her LDL-cholesterol levels became very high and caused her two heart attacks by age six. On the other hand, the transplanted liver, being normal and healthy, was able to clear the LDL-cholesterol from her blood. Indeed, after the transplant, Stormie's LDL-cholesterol declined by 81%—from an astounding 988 to a near-normal 184 mg per deciliter.<ref>New England Journal of Medicine. December 27, 1984. [http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/26/1658 Liver transplantation to provide low-density-lipoprotein receptors and lower plasma cholesterol in a child with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia]</ref> Since she was going to require lifelong [[immunosuppressant]] therapy anyway to prevent rejection of her transplanted liver, and since her heart had been severely damaged by her previous heart attacks, it was decided to also perform a heart transplant. |
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Revision as of 20:46, 1 November 2023
Stormie Jones | |
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.jpg) Stormie Jones, the world’s first heart-liver transplant recipient, initially was treated at UT Southwestern. | |
| Born | Stormie Dawn Jones May 30, 1977 Borger, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 11, 1990 (aged 13) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
Stormie Dawn Jones (May 30, 1977 – November 11, 1990) was the world's first recipient of a successful simultaneous heart and liver organ transplant.
Early Life
Stormie Dawn Jones was born in Borger, Texas to Susie Jones, a waitress, and an oil field worker. She had an older sister named Misty. Her parents separated when she was five years old.
Medical Issues
When Stormie reached three months of age, discolored bumps began to appear on her skin. A multitude of doctors were unable to find the cause. During this time, the bumps began getting more painful. In the summer of 1983, her mother took her to a specialist who took a biopsy of the bumps and found them to contain nearly pure cholesterol. The specialist then referred Stormie to David Bilheimer, a cholesterol specialist at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
Diagnosis
Bilheimer determined that Stormie suffered from a genetic condition known as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, which raised her cholesterol levels to more than seven times that of a normal six-year-old. After being put on a low cholesterol diet, Stormie suffered a heart attack and underwent double-bypass heart surgery that October. She suffered a second heart attack almost two months later, requiring a second by-pass operation and an artificial mitral valve. Susie Jones was also told that her daughter had less than a year to live.
Based on research conducted by two Dallas physicians in the late 70's that linked cholesterol production to the liver, Bilheimer suggested a liver transplant for Stormie, to be performed at Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital (now UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh). Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, recognizing the previous damage already done to Stormie's heart, did not believe a liver transplant alone could save her. Instead, he suggested a dual heart and liver transplant.
Transplant
On February 14, 1984, under the direction of Dr. Starzl, Drs. Byers W. Shaw Jr. and Henry T. Bahnson replaced the six-year-old's heart and liver at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] The case showed that the liver controls blood cholesterol and that high cholesterol is controllable,[2] and was part of the research on cholesterol and the liver that won Joseph L. Goldstein and Michael S. Brown the Nobel prize in medicine in 1985.[3][4] Stormie died on November 11, 1990.[5] Her death was related to rejection of the heart transplant she had received in 1984.[6]
There were very specific reasons for performing a combined heart and liver transplant in this young girl. Due to her inherited condition, Stormie's liver was unable to remove cholesterol, i.e. LDL-cholesterol, from her bloodstream. As a result, her LDL-cholesterol levels became very high and caused her two heart attacks by age six. On the other hand, the transplanted liver, being normal and healthy, was able to clear the LDL-cholesterol from her blood. Indeed, after the transplant, Stormie's LDL-cholesterol declined by 81%—from an astounding 988 to a near-normal 184 mg per deciliter.[7] Since she was going to require lifelong immunosuppressant therapy anyway to prevent rejection of her transplanted liver, and since her heart had been severely damaged by her previous heart attacks, it was decided to also perform a heart transplant.
References
- ^ New York Times. February 20, 1990. New Liver for Stormie Jones. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
- ^ Findagrave.com Stormie Dawn Jones. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
millionwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
YOUNG TEXASwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ CBSNews.com. Transplant History. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
- ^ New York Times. November 17, 1990. Girl's Death Linked to Transplant Rejection. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
- ^ New England Journal of Medicine. December 27, 1984. Liver transplantation to provide low-density-lipoprotein receptors and lower plasma cholesterol in a child with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia