Kidney chain completed

[MrMike66]

Hey wanted to share my story at MUSC.  The final pay back kidney from my chain was implanted.
www.musc.edu/pr/newscenter/2013/donorchain.html

[Fr Pat]

        Congratulations!
        The article does a very good job, I think, in explaining the whole process, and I do believe that more people would donate if they knew more about it.
        However I think the article has two deficiencies;
--- It makes the misleading statement that if the donor ever needs to receive a kidney transplant he/she would go to "the top of the list". With regard to receiving a kidney from a deceased donor, a living donor receives several "points" which move him/her higher up on the waiting list, but not necessarily to "the top". Whether the National Kidney Registry has a policy of placing past donors on the "top of the list" to receive from a living donor is something I don't know (but would be interested in finding out.)
--- The article is VERY weak on explaining the small but genuine risks involved for the donor. A few kidney donors have died from the surgery, and others continue to suffer long-term health complications (and have shared their stories at this site). I think that any article promoting living donation and sharing the wonderful success stories also should be clear about the genuine risks involved.
              Thanks very much for sharing the link.
                        Fr. Pat

[MrMike66]

Fr.  Pat,

Thank you for the comment on the article.  I was pleased.  In regards to your thoughts on deficiencies, I understand where you are coming from, however I think that including every negative experience that is found on this site would be counter productive.  MUSC does a thorough job explaining all of the possible side effects early on in the process.  I believe that this site tends to be skewed towards the problems that people have encountered and might not represent the typical experience.  Needless to say I have been open with my complications and challenges, and that information is provided to new donors. 

As far as moving to the head of the list.  I pushed MUSC to write a policy on this that I can review prior to donating and they produced a document because even internally they were not on the same page.  They agreed that donors received 4 pts for the waiting list.  They said however that for kidneys donated to MU S C they had some discretion over who would get it and when.  Living donors being at the top of the list.