Here We Go Again

by David Goldman

It’s been a couple of bad luck weeks for me when it comes to finding a kidney donor. Two weeks ago my best match was told she couldn’t donate because of her own medical issues, and this week the same thing happened with my other best match. Hopefully, both of them will get things resolved and they’ll quickly return to good health. In the meantime, I’m back at square one in my search for a donor.

If you’re new to this subject, here are a few facts about kidney failure and living vs. cadaver kidney donation:

• ·      When you have kidney failure, you have two choices: dialysis or a kidney transplant.
• ·      A kidney transplant doubles the life expectancy of a patient versus being on dialysis. The lifespan of a 40-45 year old male on dialysis is approximately 8 years.
• ·      The wait list time for a kidney averages between five and six years.
• ·      Short and long term survival rates are significantly better for transplants from living donors than transplants from deceased donors. (On average, approximately 18 years for a kidney from a living donor compared to 13 years for a kidney from a deceased donor).
• ·      Surgery for living donors is minimally invasive and almost always done through a laparoscopic procedure.
• ·      Much more information about living kidney donation can be found at the Living Kidney Donors Network (www.lkdn.org).

 Wednesday, I spoke with one of my transplant coordinators who told me a few people have asked to send in blood samples to see if they’re compatible matches and this is a very good thing. She also told me to get the word out again to see if there’s anyone else willing to donate and that’s what this post is about. They say you can’t just ask people to donate. It puts people in a very awkward position with no graceful way to exit. You’re supposed to just tell them your story and hope that they offer to donate. The good thing about a blog is, you can come right out and ask but nobody’s put in that uncomfortable position. Another one of the wonders of the Internet!

My story is pretty simple. I was diagnosed with Type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes when I was a year and a half old. I led a very normal life with a few diabetes related bumps in the road. When I was 27 I found out I had diabetic nephropathy (diabetic kidney disease). At that time, kidney transplants were no longer experimental, but they were a lot more rare than they are today. I was very lucky. My sister wanted to donate and when I was 30, I received a successful kidney transplant from her. That kidney worked perfectly for almost 25 years when it eventually failed. I went on dialysis this past December. Since then I’ve been hopeful of another transplant.

Getting back to asking or not asking someone to donate. This post is clearly asking anyone who is interested to consider donating. If so, please call the University of Minnesota Transplant Center. This is where I had my first transplant as well as my pancreas transplant. Their number is 1-800-328-5465-Option 1. All of your information is kept confidential. They will not use your name or divulge any of your personal or medical information to me.

And, I thank you!