INNOVATION
INNOVATION
THE PARSONS MODEL : THE SELFLESS ACT THAT PAVED THE PATH
Parsons was a registered organ donor through LOH , and he had long hoped that his organs could help others upon his death . However , his organs were not suitable for donation . His family permitted UAB to sustain Parsons on a ventilator to keep his body functioning during the study .
“ Mr . Parsons and his family allowed us to replicate precisely how we would perform this transplant in a living human ,” Dr . Locke says . “ Their powerful contribution will save thousands of lives , and that could begin in the very near future .”
Parsons ’ ex-wife , Julie O ’ Hara , and their children Ally , David , and Cole made the decision – along with Jim ’ s sisters and mother – to take part in the study .
“ Jim would ’ ve wanted to save as many people as he could – he wouldn ’ t have wanted his death not to mean anything ,” says O ’ Hara , with whom Parsons had remained close over the years . “ Our dream is that no other person dies waiting for a kidney , and we know that Jim is very proud that his death could potentially bring so much hope to others . I think the impact to mankind is huge .”
Jim Parsons
In September 2021 , avid off-road dirt bike racer Jim Parsons had an accident during a ride that left him brain-dead . The Huntsville , Ala ., resident had just celebrated his 57th birthday .
Parsons was an organ donor , and though his organs were not viable for donation , there was still an opportunity for him to leave a remarkable legacy by paving the way for thousands of people on waitlists for organ donation . He did so on Sept . 30 , 2021 , when the Parsons family agreed to let him be part of the world ’ s first-of-its-kind xenotransplantation study at UAB Hospital and Legacy of Hope ( LOH ), Alabama ’ s organ procurement organization .
To honor Jim ’ s legacy , Dr . Locke proposed that this preclinical human model forever be known as The Parsons Model . “ I cried when Dr . Locke told me about her proposal to name it after Jim ,” O ’ Hara says . “ It ’ s a great honor , and we ’ re extremely thankful .”
Dr . Locke says the actions of Parsons and his family will benefit medicine far beyond the field of xenotransplantation .
“ What the Parsons family has done through this generosity helped us move the field of xenotransplantation forward , but Mr . Parsons also helped introduce the world to a novel preclinical human model ,” Dr . Locke says . “ Moving forward , I think the Parsons Model can be leveraged to study the safety and feasibility of all sorts of things designed to improve the human condition , whether it be a medication or a new surgical procedure .”
6 UAB CTI Report