Following nearly two decades of life-threatening illness, repeated complications, and organ failure, 33-year-old Briana Dery of Twining, Mich., successfully underwent one of the rarest and most complex procedures in modern medicine.
Earlier this year, she became the first person in Michigan to receive a new intestinal transplant and a new kidney in a single combined transplant operation. The news was first released on Tuesday.
Dery’s health challenges began in 2008 after a mission trip to Honduras, when she contracted an illness that never resolved.
By 2010 she could no longer tolerate food. Doctors later diagnosed her with chronic intestinal pseudo–obstruction caused by visceral myopathy — a rare disorder that paralyzes the intestines and prevents the absorption of nutrients.
For years, Dery relied on intravenous nutrition and endured repeated infections. In 2017, she received an intestinal transplant at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. But over time the transplanted organ began to fail. The prolonged illness, combined with years of medical treatment, ultimately led to kidney failure as well.
By 2025, Dery required both a new intestinal transplant and a new kidney to survive.
Rather than performing two separate surgeries — each carrying significant risk due to extensive scar tissue and prior operations — her care team at Henry Ford Hospital determined that a single 10-hour surgery offered the safest path forward.
That decision placed Dery among an exceptionally small group of patients nationwide.
Combined intestinal-kidney transplants are among the rarest procedures in modern medicine. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, 56 such transplants have ever been performed in the United States. The intestine itself was long considered the “forbidden organ” in transplantation due to its complex immune and blood supply, making combined procedures especially high risk.
The lengthy surgery required precise coordination and sequencing by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Shunji Nagai, surgical director of Liver, Intestine and Multivisceral Transplant, and Dr. Dean Kim, surgical director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, of the Henry Ford Transplant Institute.
Surgeons first removed the failed intestines and worked through dense scar tissue before implanting the donor intestines and restoring blood flow. Only then could the team create space for the kidney transplant and connect its blood vessels and ureter — all while carefully managing blood pressure and protecting the new organs.
“Keeping her blood pressure stable while protecting the intestine’s blood supply made this surgery uniquely delicate,” says Kim.
Successfully completing the operation marked a first for both the State of Michigan and the Henry Ford Transplant Institute. Dr. Marwan Abouljoud, director of the Henry Ford Transplant Institute, says it represents one of the most complex cases undertaken by the institute to date and further establishes Henry Ford Health as a destination for patients with the most challenging transplant needs.
“As Michigan’s most comprehensive transplant center, we’re equipped to take on the most advanced cases,” Abouljoud says. “This transplant reflects our commitment to patients who once had no options and shows how our teams continue to advance what’s possible.”
Today, Dery is recovering and looking ahead to a future once thought unattainable, supported by her faith and family. A GoFundMe has also been set up to support her.
