An American woman has achieved a significant milestone in medical science by becoming the longest-living person to successfully receive a pig kidney transplant.

Luna's doctors reported that her kidney function is "absolutely normal," and they are optimistic about her continued recovery. The Alabama woman is currently in New York for post-transplant checkups, but medical professionals expect her to return home within the next month.

The transplant is part of an ongoing effort to address the critical shortage of human organs available for transplantation. Over 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for organ transplants, with the majority in need of a kidney. Thousands die each year while waiting for a suitable donor.

Pig organ transplants have been carried out as experimental procedures, authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only under special circumstances for patients with no other options. While there is no way to predict how long Luna’s kidney will function, doctors note that if the organ fails, she could return to dialysis treatment.

Luna’s case represents a hopeful step forward in the search for innovative solutions to the organ donation crisis. (ILKHA)