organ donation

HOLLYWOOD star Jesse Eisenberg has revealed he’s donating his kidney to a stranger.

The Oscar nominated actor, 42, is set to have the operation in just six weeks in a bid to save a person with advanced kidney disease.

He appeared on the TODAY show on Thursday morning and shared: “I’m actually donating my kidney in six weeks. I really am.“

The Social Network actor was then asked what made him want to donate his organ in such a selfless act.

He replied: “I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug. I’m doing an altruistic donation (in) mid-December. I’m so excited to do it.”

An altruistic or non-directed kidney donor is a person who wishes to donate a kidney to a person with advanced kidney disease, who he or she does not know.

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Many non-directed donors do not know anyone personally who is in need of a kidney transplant.

Jesse went on to explain why other people should consider becoming organ donors, saying: “It’s essentially risk-free and so needed.

“I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.”

The Zombieland actor spoke about the benefits of being an altruistic donor.

He explained: “Let’s say person X needs a kidney in Kansas City, (and) their child or whoever was going to donate to them is, for whatever set of reasons, not a match, but somehow I am.

“That person can still get my kidney and hopefully that child of that person still donates their kidney, right? But it goes to a bank where that person can find a match recipient, but it only works if there is basically an altruistic donor.”

Jesse said he first had the idea about donating his kidney nearly a decade ago.

He reached out to an organization at the time but never heard back.

But now Jesse is set to go ahead with the procedure in December.

“I was in the hospital the next day and went through a battery of tests, and I’m now scheduled in mid-December,” he shared.

Jesse also discussed the National Kidney Foundation’s family voucher program, where allows a living donor to donate a kidney to a stranger now and receive vouchers for up to five healthy family members to use in the future, if one of them needs a transplant.

He said: “The way it works now is you can put a list of whoever you would like to be the first to be at the top of the list.

“So it’s risk-free for my family, as well.”

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Jesse is best known for films such as The Social Network, Zombieland, and Now You See Me.

He is also recognized for his roles in Adventureland, The Squid and the Whale, and the DC Extended Universe as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. 

A MAN lived with a transplanted pig liver for more than a month in the most successful operation of its kind, scientists say.

The terminally ill 71-year-old received the genetically modified organ in Anhui, China, last year.

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It then functioned normally for 38 days – five weeks – before having to be removed due to blood clotting, a complication from the op.

The patient was the first living person to have the procedure and survived for 171 days, about six months, afterwards.

He had run out of treatment options for liver cancer and scarring caused by hepatitis B, and died from internal bleeding months after the transplant was removed.

His survival is not as long as the record for a patient with a pig’s kidney, at six months and counting.

But it was longer than the previous record for a liver, set by a brain-dead patient whose life support was turned off after 10 days.

Scientists have also experimented with transplanting a lung into a brain-dead patient.

A new era has started

Dr Heiner WedemeyerThe Journal of Hepatology

Surgeon and study author Dr Beicheng Sun, from Anhui Medical University, said: “This case proves that a genetically engineered pig liver can function in a human for an extended period.

“It is a pivotal step forward, demonstrating both the promise and the remaining hurdles.”

Scientists hope that organs from pigs could be used to save people at risk of dying on transplant waiting lists.

They are similar in size to human body parts and gene editing can cut the risk of the immune system rejecting them.

Writing in the Journal of Hepatology, Dr Sun said more experiments are needed to perfect the procedure.

Dr Heiner Wedemeyer, editor of the journal, said: “A new era of transplant has started.”

As drama continues to unfold in the Yorkshire Dales, there’s no better time to join the Mirror’s Emmerdale WhatsApp community for all the latest twists, secrets, and betrayals delivered straight to your phone

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In recent episodes, fans have been treated to a host of gripping storylines – including the recent discovery of Nate Robinson’s body in a lake, after he was accidentally killed by John Sugden last September. This has teased some big twists ahead and it could lead to the downfall of John who sets a plan in motion.

Meanwhile, the villainous Dr Crowley continues to target the Tate family, blackmailing Joe into stealing money from his step grandmother Kim – using the secret of Joe’s illegal kidney transplant and threatening harm towards his love interest Dawn Taylor. Another bombshell hit the village when Charity Dingle said she would be a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah Sugden, while Bear Wolf continues to concern viewers with his spiralling behaviour.

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