The holidays spring to life with countless Santa Claus sightings, some even marking their presence on the news media. One such Santa Claus character recently grabbed the media attention, and for a commendable reason to his post. A tale that highlights a woman from Alabama, Towana Looney, who displayed an act of unconditional love twenty-five years ago by donating her kidney to her mother, as unveiled by an Associated Press source.
However, the time rolled in unexpected challenges for Looney herself. Post her magnanimous donation, she encountered complications with her only kidney left and thereby started undergoing dialysis. Physicians found that she had developed antibodies, which meant her body would have rejected a kidney, had she received one.
Aware of the groundbreaking scientific advancements, Looney had knowledge about the provisional pig organ transplants undergoing experimental procedures. The pioneering technology had its downfalls, though. Early subjects who underwent pig organ transplants didn’t fare well for more than a few weeks, let alone months.
Having suffered for eight strenuous years on dialysis, Looney landed an FDA approval and became eligible to receive a pig kidney transplant at the prestigious New York University Hospital. This marked a significant moment in medical history as Looney was documented as the fifth American to go through a gene-edited pig organ transplant.
The surgeons noted a remarkable observation post the surgery. Moments after the transplant procedure, the pig kidney, now residing inside Looney, exhibited signs of a healthy organ as it transformed into its natural color and started functioning.
A month’s time from the operation passed, and her physicians noticed that Looney was doing significantly better compared to the previous transplant recipients. Such a successful recovery even allowed Looney to discontinue her otherwise prolonged dialysis sessions.
The restoration roadmap points towards a plan where Looney is expected to return back to her Alabama home after a span of three months. In any scenario that the transplanted kidney fails to function as expected, she can returner back to her dialysis routine. This pioneering intervention has already set the stage for what could potentially be a lifesaving technological breakthrough in the biomedical field.
Meanwhile, another highlight emerged from Alabama. On an eventful day, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, granted a pardon to a woman from Alabama. In an additional course of clemency, he also commuted the sentences of as many as 1,499 individuals, a notable one being a physician from Huntsville notorious as a ‘pill mill doctor’.
Shelinder Aggarwal, who was handed a prison sentence for fifteen-long years in 2017, found his name on the commutation sentence list. His deeds included illegal prescription of controlled substances, along with fraudulent activities implicating a whopping $9.5 million in non-performed urine testing cases.
In the year 2012 alone, Aggarwal’s egregious medical practices made pharmacies fill over 110,000 prescription orders, which roughly translated to more than 2,000 prescriptions per week. Aggarwal self-admitted in his plea agreement that the DEA had dubbed him as the most prolific ‘pill-pusher’ in North Alabama, and his mispractices had led his patients to dangerous health scenarios.
As per the latest updates, Aggarwal has been positioned in a halfway house and is expected to earn a release by December 22.
In a different series of event in Jefferson County, a suspect car robber found himself trying to escape from the authorities on foot. However, it’s not the common pursuit case that grabbed attention, but the entity that aided in the suspect’s capture – a Santa Claus.
As it turns out, a stolen Nissan Altima case ended up in an interesting pursuit chase. The deputies traced the stolen vehicle and managed to bring it to a halt. While a passenger surrendered instantly, the driver made an attempt to run into a nearby woodland.
Who knew things would take a whimsical turn when a Santa Claus lookalike delivered the fleeing suspect back to the deputies. The Santa figure was none other than Larry Williams, a retired officer from the same quarters, volunteering at a local church. The driver ended up in custody on charges of receiving stolen properties and attempting to escape a law enforcement officer.