Mayo Clinic's first-ever heart transplant recipient dies....
Tim Nichols, 51, of Rochester has died.
Nichols was the first-ever recipient of a heart transplant performed at Mayo Clinic here in Minnesota, his obituary says. He died January 13, 2010.
He later received a second heart transplant, along with a kidney transplant — in 1999.
"He attended Resurrection Lutheran, Autumn Ridge and Crosswinds Church in Rochester. He cherished his faith and family, and enjoyed fishing, billiards and playing games with his daughters," the obituary says.
It asks that memorials be given to the ministries of Crosswinds Church.
The five-year survival rate for male recipients of donated hearts is 73.1 percent, according to the American Heart Association. There were 105,301 people waiting for a donated organ of some type as of Tuesday, January 26, 2010, says organdonor.gov.
By Jeff Hansel, member Association of Health Care Journalists
Health Reporter for the Post-Bulletin newspaper, 18 1st Ave. S.E. in Rochester, Minnesota 55904
Twitter Hansel's Pulse: @Jeff Hansel
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