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A woman who received a double hand transplant has received a revolutionary new treatment that prevents her body from rejecting the organ.
Tanya Shepherd, 48, the UK’s first woman to receive a double hand transplant, underwent treatment to remove plasma from her blood to rid her body of antibodies that could cause rejection.
Ms Shepherd, from Hull, suffered from antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), a type of rejection in which the immune system recognizes tissue as foreign and produces antibodies that attack the donor organ.
She said: “I am very grateful to the team at Therapeutic Apheresis Service, the wider NHS Blood and Transplant organization and all the generous blood and plasma donors who made this treatment available to me.
“While rejection is a real and frightening risk for transplant recipients, it is reassuring to know that there are treatments that can help. We are proud to be the first to test plasmapheresis for AMR in hand transplants.”
“As always, I encourage people to register to become organ donors and donate blood or plasma if possible. To those who are already organ donors, I would like to share my journey with you. I am forever grateful to those who helped me.”
NHS Blood and Transplant, which carried out the treatment in Leeds, said it was the first time the technique had been used to treat organ rejection in hand transplant patients.
Charlotte Blacklock-Lamb, head nurse at TAS in Leeds, said: “This is the first time that TAS has used plasma exchange to treat AMR in a double hand transplant patient, and we are pleased to be able to support Tanya’s treatment.” We worked closely with the hand transplant team, led by Professor Simon Kaye, to watch Tanya undergo her first treatment.
“As always, we are grateful to the many people who have donated both blood and plasma, allowing us to carry out these treatments.”
Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “Organ rejection is a real risk for transplant recipients and can have devastating consequences.
“If you are eligible, please consider registering to become an organ, blood or plasma donor to help develop these life-saving treatments.”