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A first-of-its kind, a heart-thymus transplant, is a success

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Easton Sinnamon was born with a heart problem, and he was still an infant when he received a first-of-its-kind transplant. He received a new heart and a little more. Dr. Joseph Turek led the team that performed it.

JOSEPH TUREK: He had - was born with a single ventricle heart, meaning he only had, like, one half of his heart. And we had tried to do some operations to get him through, but he wasn't doing very well. And he kept getting these infections.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Turek is chief of pediatric heart surgery at Duke University, and he says the solution was to give the baby a new heart and also new thymus tissue.

INSKEEP: The thymus is the gland that helps produce T cells, which can also complicate organ transplants. That's why little Easton got thymus tissue from the same donor as the heart. Easton spent his first seven months in the hospital. His mother is Kaitlyn Sinnamon.

KAITLYN SINNAMON: It was a real challenge. We have a 4-year-old daughter at home. So trying to juggle taking care of her and being there at the hospital for him was pretty difficult.

INSKEEP: Dr. Turek says that Easton's procedure addresses an obstacle in organ transplants - the body rejecting a new organ.

TUREK: Rejection over time leads to the organs failing. Right now, in the modern day, a heart transplant, on average, will last about 10 to 15 years.

MARTIN: By transplanting both heart and thymus tissue from a single donor, the heart may last longer. And Easton's mom is optimistic.

SINNAMON: We want families who are going through similar circumstances as we are - to let them know that there is hope.

MARTIN: And Easton reached another milestone recently - his first birthday.

SINNAMON: We invited really close friends and family. We even had some of the respiratory therapists from Duke that we became really close to. Easton was excited just to see so many people. And, you know, it was all about him, so he just soaked it all up.

MARTIN: Happy birthday, Easton. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.