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Living Donation Forum / December 2023 Living Organ Donor Anniversaries from our LDO! Calendar

« Last post by Clark on Yesterday at 02:44:41 PM »

December is a complex emotional time for many, and for many of us. Right off, we recognize the tremendous courage and brotherly love demonstrated by Ron Herrick 69 years ago. I am tremendously privileged to have met Ron nearly 20 years ago, and to have personally thanked him for going first, not just for myself, but on behalf of all of us who've followed his lead. Witnessed by the then president of the OPTN/UNOS, it led to my invitation to service on UNOS board committees and subsequent election to the board of directors to be one of the first living donor representatives to the board.

Bookending this list, the most recent entry is actually the first anniversary of the passing of Elizabeth's brother. COVID-19 was and still is dismissed by many, incomprehensibly to those of us who lost loved ones and dear friends, and those of us still masking in public, either for reasonable concern in our post donation state, or on behalf of our immunocompromised loved ones. We may be masking in public for years to come.

As always, these anniversaries mark hopeful acts of love and courage. As always, the majority are memories of joyful, complete success for all. As always, there are memories of heartbreak. Whatever these memories evoke for you, we remember with you and are here to share joy and sadness, as you may wish to share. Best wishes all. Happy holidays!-John, a.k.a. "Clark" on LDO!

Sixty-ninth anniversary:
Ronald Herrick donated a kidney to his brother on December 23rd, 1954, the first successful solid organ transplant. Ron died at age 79 on December 27th, 2010. Ron was the first living organ donor, to his twin brother, Richard. Joseph Murray, the plastic surgeon who convinced them and their surgical teams that he had figured a way around the immune response, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Fortieth anniversary:
Jann K. Armantrout donated a kidney to sibling Mark J. Armantrout on December 12th, 1983

Thirty-eighth anniversary:
Robert A. Hancox donated a kidney to his sister on December 11th, 1985

Thirty-second anniversary:
Juanita DeVeaux donated a kidney to her daughter on December 4th, 1991

Twenty-ninth anniversary:
Natalie Cardoza donated a kidney to her sister on December 21st, 1994

Twenty-eighth anniversary:
Emmitt Lee Lewis donated a kidney to his little brother, Glen, on December 8th, 1995. Emmitt's daughter, Deborah Lewis-Grimes, says they were the first African-American living donor-recipient siblings in the US.
Sheila Leander donated a kidney to her husband, Brian, on December 27th, 1995

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Gregory F. Welsh donated bone marrow to Maria Hall on December 6th, 1996

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Heather Roberts donated a kidney to her father in December, 1999. He died in 2012, with kidney function still good.
Cheryl McCullough donated part of her liver to her husband on December 14th, 1999

Twenty-second anniversary:
Phillip Ondler donated a kidney to his sister on December 14th, 2001
Bob Jauch donated part on his liver to his daughter on December 20th, 2001
Janice O'Connell donated a kidney to friend on December 26th, 2001

Twenty-first anniversary:
Bill Shummel donated a kidney anonymously on December 17th, 2002

Twentieth anniversary:
Micheline donated a kidney to a friend on December 5th, 2003
Kevin donated part of his liver to his father on December 8th, 2003
Barbara Sher Cohen donated a kidney to her brother on December 9th, 2003
Larry Miller donated a kidney to his daughter on December 16th, 2003Melanie Wallace donated a kidney to a stranger on December 16th, 2003
Kathryn Jones donated part of her liver to a friend on December 18th, 2003. Her friend died two months later.
Bev donated a kidney to a stranger on December 23, 2003
Elizabeth A. Miller donated a kidney to a friend on December 30th, 2003
Lisa Ornelas donated a kidney to her sister on December 30th, 2003

[/size]Nineteenth anniversary:
Sarah Wright donated a kidney to her brother on December 1st, 2004
Becky Livingston donated a kidney to her cousin on December 12th, 2004

[/size]Eighteenth anniversary:
Peggy Espinoza donated a kidney to her sister, Gloria, on December 6th, 2005
Mary Kirk donated a kidney to her brother-in-law on December 6th, 2005
Charlotte Buckley donated a kidney to a friend's mother on December 7th, 2005
Jay Paustian donated a kidney to a friend on December 13th, 2005
Amanda Gedraitis donated a kidney anonymously on December 15th, 2005
Coleen Damon donated a kidney to her mother on December 27th, 2005
[/size]Doug Boston donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on December 28th, 2005

Seventeenth anniversary:
Meghan McGrail donated a kidney to her uncle, Danny Cavicchi, on December 5th, 2006
Rick Hodgkins donated a kidney to his mother on December 7th, 2006
Brian Earnshaw donated a kidney to his uncle on December 12th, 2006
Wayne Ellenberger donated a kidney to a stranger on December 12th, 2006
Mary Lou Hery donated a kidney to her daughter on December 22, 2006
Billie Ward donated part of her liver to an unrelated recipient on December 22nd, 2006
Lisa donated a kidney to her daughter on December 27th, 2006

Sixteenth anniversary:
Louise in Canada donated a kidney to an anonymous unrelated recipient on December 3rd, 2007
Sylvia Toler donated a kidney to her husband, Steve, on December 4th, 2007
Connie Watts donated to her cousin on December 7th, 2007
Christine Robinson made a non-directed donation on December 11th, 2007
Eric Savage donated a kidney to his father on December 18th, 2007
[/size]Brett Menzy donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on December 18th, 2007

Fifteenth anniversary:
Craig Tohill donated a kidney to his Aunt Sue on December 7th, 2008
Tom Moore donated a kidney to his brother on December 9th, 2008
Joshua donated a kidney to a stranger on December 10th, 2008
Philip R. Knisely donated a kidney to his co-worker, Jose Luis Vara, Jr., on December 30th, 2008

Fourteenth anniversary:
Rob Upham donated a kidney to Sandra Erice on December 7th, 2009
Pamela Hull donated a kidney in the 2009 Georgetown exchange (one of 13 donors) so her cousin could receive a kidney on December 8th, 2009
Matt Knowles donated a kidney to his wife on December 9th, 2009
Kimberly Jensen donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Bill Flitton, on December 9th, 2009
Bill Martinez donated a kidney to his cousin, Nicholas, on December 9th, 2009
Gina Mingrone became a non-directed donor in the New England Paired Kidney Exchange (NEPKE) on December 15th, 2009, initiating a chain of donors and recipients from Maine to New Jersey and back!
Kara Lucca donated a kidney as 1 of 13 donors in a nationwide chain on December 17th, 2009, while her husband was 1 of 13 recipients
[/size]Lori Wagner donated a kidney to her father on December 29th, 2009

Thirteenth anniversary:
Ellie started a non-directed kidney donor chain on December 16th, 2010

Twelfth anniversary:
Jody Woodward made a non-directed kidney donation on December 8th, 2011
Curtis donated a kidney in a chain on December 12th, 2011
Kathy Melish donated part of her liver to her husband's cousin's son, Michael, on December 12th, 2011
Stephanie Marie donated a kidney to Selina, an unrelated person, on December 13th, 2011
Jane donated a kidney to her brother Tom on December 14th, 2011
Lisa Goldberg donated a kidney to her father, Larry Berg, on December 15th, 2011
TG Gordon donated a kidney to her brother on December 16th, 2011

Eleventh anniversary:
Harjit Dhahan Hallan donated a kidney on December 10th, 2012
Donna Aronne donated a kidney to her husband on December 13th, 2012Renee Romero donated a kidney to her father, Wendell Douberly, on December 21st, 2012

Tenth anniversary:
Melissa Vizenor made an unrelated kidney donation to Rachel on December 2nd, 2013
Sarah Beecher donated a kidney to her son on December 5th, 2013
Lisa Tabor McCrea donated a kidney to Ellen Garner, found on matchingdonors.com, on December 13th, 2013
Kevin Slifka donated a kidney to his nephew on December 17th, 2013
Cynthia Hawkins Lindell was a non directed kidney donor on December 19th, 2013
Alex Wollangk donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Ron Schwalbach, on December 19th, 2013
Karen Whiteford donated a kidney to her brother, Thomas Mercier, on December 20th, 2013
David Taylor donated a kidney to his son, Dale, on December 23rd, 2013

Ninth anniversary:
Lynn Bolduc was a non directed kidney donor on December 8th, 2014

Seventh anniversary:
Rebecca O'Marrah donated part of her liver to her friend, Kelly Drey, on December 7th, 2016

Fifth anniversary:
Andrea Armida Yochim donated a kidney to Yuri Miguel Carrarierro on December 19th, 2018

First anniversary:
Elizabeth donated a kidney to her brother on January 13th, 2010. Her brother passed away after contracting COVID-19 on December 13th, 2022.

Living Donation in the News / Organ & Body Donations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

« Last post by Clark on December 04, 2023, 05:08:09 PM »

Most of Oliver's chosen subjects require extensive research. Unfortunately, most of this content has been in multiple media for years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn7egDQ9lPg

Living Donation in the News / Saturday, 11/25, is Mayo Clinic’s 60th anniversary of its first organ transplant

« Last post by Clark on November 25, 2023, 09:22:54 AM »

https://www.kttc.com/2023/11/24/saturday-is-mayo-clinics-60th-anniversary-its-first-organ-transplant/

Saturday is Mayo Clinic’s 60th anniversary of its first organ transplant
By Eric Min
Published: Nov. 24, 2023 at 6:44 PM EST|Updated: 14 hours ago

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – November 25, 1963, marks Mayo Clinic’s first kidney transplant from a living donor led by Dr. George Hallenbeck.
This successful surgery is the hospital’s first organ transplant which happened 60-years ago here in 2023.
“It’s a tremendous privilege,” Mayo’s Kidney Transplant Program Surgical Director Dr. Patrick Dean said. “...to have been able to provide transplant services to patients in the Rochester are and all around the world for the last 60-years.”
According to Mayo Clinic, the hospital has performed 31,568 transplant surgeries as of October 31; of those surgeries, the top three include 16,639 kidney transplants, 10,223 liver transplants and 2,081 heart transplants.

With its decades of experience, Dr. Patrick Dean said Mayo Clinic is working to improve its transplant services.
He said, “Gaining a deeper understanding of immunology of the reasons people actually lose these kidneys will hopefully help us to allow people to live better lives with the same kidney rather than needing a second or even a third kidney transplant during their life.”
Dr. Dean said donors are significant contributors to the success of transplant surgeries.
“I think it is important to just emphasize none of these transplants would have been possible without the donors who made the transplant possible. None of these transplants would happen without the donors. And so, the donors play a very important part in what we do in any area of transplantation.”
Mayo Clinic Kidney Transplant Program Surgical Director Dr. Patrick Dean
Dr. Dean encouraged everyone to consider organ donation. He said the top challenge for transplant services remains the number of willing donors.

Living Donation in the News / India: 80% of recipients are male, majority of living donors are female

« Last post by Clark on November 25, 2023, 09:17:12 AM »

https://www.dtnext.in/edit/the-donor-conundrum-749630

Editorial: The donor conundrum For every woman who received an organ, four men got transplants in the country

CHENNAI: The highly skewed distribution of organ donation in India was highlighted earlier this week, when data from 1995 to 2021 was made public….

Living Donation Forum / Re: 1.45 creatinine?

« Last post by Michael on November 04, 2023, 07:05:23 AM »

Creatine can fluctuate quite a bit day to day, depending on factors like what you eat and how much you exercise. That said, it sounds like you know what to do -- change your diet, stay hydrated, and increase your exercise. One other consideration is to check your creatinine level (and other biometrics) in six months to see if your current experience was just a "blip" or a sign that your kidney health has actually changed.

Here is information on maintaining kidney health after donation, including a spreadsheet to keep track of your kidney health measures over time: https://livingdonorsonline.org/kidney/afterwards/#:~:text=of%20your%20life.-,Lifestyle%20Choices,-%3A%20Staying%20Healthy%20After

I see you also posted on the LDO Facebook group page, so you've gotten additional suggestions and encouragement there. Stay strong! You can do this!

Living Donation Forum / 1.45 creatinine?

« Last post by snatiep on November 02, 2023, 07:26:48 PM »

Hello Everyone,
I haven't posted here in a few years, I donated 13 years ago and my Sister, the recipient, is still doing wonderful.
I had my yearly physical last week and got some concerning news. My creatinine has creeped up to 1.45 and my fasting glucose is 99mg/dl, and they told me my A1c shows I have prediabetes.
My Dr. recommended some lifestyle changes, loose some weight, drink more water, eat more healthy by limiting unhealthy carbohydrates and sweets, and exercising 30 minutes/5 times a week.
I have gained about 20 pounds since I donated and I do have a terrible sweet tooth and I don't drink enough water, and I don't regularly exercise.
She also gave me a Nephrology referral to talk to a different Dr.
I'm absolutely terrified. A nurse did call me this morning and told me I am on the tipping point of the numbers and a lifestyle change would likely make a big difference in reversing the prediabetes.
I guess I don't have an actual question, I'm just scared and would like some advice.
Thank you so much.

Living Donation in the News / Proposal to allow opt-in kidney sales for about $40k in the UK

« Last post by Clark on October 30, 2023, 10:42:22 AM »

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11019-023-10171-x

Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy ArticleA fair exchange: why living kidney donors in England should be financially compensated Published: 24 August 2023
Daniel Rodger & Bonnie Venter

Abstract
Every year, hundreds of patients in England die whilst waiting for a kidney transplant, and this is evidence that the current system of altruistic-based donation is not sufficient to address the shortage of kidneys available for transplant. To address this problem, we propose a monopsony system whereby kidney donors can opt-in to receive financial compensation, whilst still preserving the right of individuals to donate without receiving any compensation. A monopsony system describes a market structure where there is only one ‘buyer’—in this case the National Health Service. By doing so, several hundred lives could be saved each year in England, wait times for a kidney transplant could be significantly reduced, and it would lessen the burden on dialysis services. Furthermore, compensation would help alleviate the common disincentives to living kidney donation, such as its potential associated health and psychological costs, and it would also help to increase awareness of living kidney donation. The proposed system would also result in significant cost savings that could then be redirected towards preventing kidney disease and reducing health disparities. While concerns about exploitation, coercion, and the ‘crowding out’ of altruistic donors exist, we believe that careful implementation can mitigate these issues. Therefore, we recommend piloting financial compensation for living kidney donors at a transplant centre in England.

Living Donation Forum / Re: Transplantation Immunology Survey

« Last post by Clark on October 04, 2023, 11:36:07 AM »

No longer accepting responses?

Living Donation Forum / Transplantation Immunology Survey

« Last post by tariq_2444 on October 02, 2023, 03:58:00 PM »

Hi! My girlfriend is doing a research project regarding transplantation and immunology for a 3rd Year university project. I would really appreciate any person here taking a little time out of their day to fill in responses whether you are an organ donor or recipient. All the data will be treated with upmost care and no personal information will be requested. It would be a huge help, thank you!

Organ Donor: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBq-5fW9uy9VXitx9Gn0AUQKoaTbKVOU9p0Kjf4ddPcLLL_g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Organ Recipient:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyUoEN_g_c_w0K02vVou2vknjXfoR323wop0i6RWM8vM7huQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Living Donation Forum / October 2023 Living Organ Donor Anniversaries!

« Last post by Clark on October 01, 2023, 07:40:43 AM »

We remember so much this month, as we do every month. So many stories of hope, love, sacrifice, and care. We donors do our best on behalf of another, hoping for the best. Family and friends are generally supportive, recipients generally do well, as do donors. We celebrate the urge to help. We recognize the memories are not all joyful. our heartfelt best wishes for heart’s ease to all suffering due to a loss remembered more poignantly this month. Take good care.

As I compiled this month’s remembrances, I noted that there are wedding anniversaries and birthdays mentioned in what folks have offered to be included in our anniversary calendar. Happy birthday, Tracey! We hope you and your dad, Bruce, are both well! Christa, is Maddox 10 now? We hope so, and that you’re both well! Happy wedding anniversary, Diane and Marvin! We hope all’s well for you both, too!

Do take care, Leslie, Barb, and Rebecca. It’s so hard to be reminded of when a hoped for outcome didn’t happen. We hope you’re held in beloved, loving arms when needed.

Happy anniversaries! Add yours at https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/

Forty-seventh anniversary:
Andrew Janollari donated a kidney to his sister, Carol, on October 12th, 1976

Thirty-fourth anniversary:
Tyrone Hyslop donated part of his liver to his sister on October 18th, 1989

Thirty-third anniversary:
Dannielle Hayes donated a kidney to her mother on October 9th, 1990

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Lisa Moore donated a kidney to her sister on October 17th, 1996
Leslie Moore Boyd donated a kidney to her father, Charles, on October 31st, 1996. He lived three more years, during which he welcomed his last grandchild into this world.

Twenty-fifth anniversary:
Robert S. Burroughs donated a kidney to his sister on October 10th, 1998
Charlotte Singletary donated a kidney to her sister, Cindy Murdock, on October 21st, 1998
Charlotte Singletary donated a kidney to her sister, Cindy Murdock, on October 21st, 1998

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Jack Hallman donated a kidney to Donna Leubke's recipient, her sister, his friend, on October 19th, 1999

Twenty-second anniversary:
Barb donated a kidney to her brother on October 1st, 2001. He was re-transplanted 6 days later.
Ellen Souviney donated a kidney to a friend on October 2nd, 2001
Michelle Nichols donated a kidney to a stranger on October 29th, 2001
Jennifer Beckwith donated a kidney to her sister on October 30th, 2001

Twenty-first anniversary:
Mary DeLeeuw donated a kidney to a friend on October 8th, 2002
Sylvia Ridley donated a kidney to her mother, Lucy, on October 23rd, 2002
Janice Uible donated a kidney to her husband on October 29th, 2002

Twentieth anniversary:
Tina Alvarez donated a kidney to her sister on October 13th, 2003
Stephanie Powell donated a kidney to a stranger on October 21st, 2003
Marilyn Zeller-Walker donated a kidney to her daughter on October 28th, 2003

Nineteenth anniversary:
Lynn Cosgrove donated a kidney anonymously on October 12th, 2004
Samuel R. Smitty II donated a kidney to an unrelated person on October 20th, 2004
Gladys Sanders donated a kidney to her daughter on October 29th, 2004

Eighteenth anniversary:
Bruce Doty donated a kidney to his daughter, Tracey, on October 12th, 2005, the day before her 23rd birthday.
Angela Dale donated a kidney to her friend, Charles Coats, on October 19th, 2005
Lynda Gammons donated a kidney to her husband, Ian, on October 20th, 2005
Ruth Woodhall donated a kidney to her cousin, Alan, on October 27th, 2005

Seventeenth anniversary:
Michael Joseph donated a kidney to a stranger found on LDO in October, 2006
Patty-Lynn Gouthro donated a kidney to her sister on October 4th, 2006
Bryan Compton donated a kidney to his wife, Debbie, on October 10th, 2006
Vince C. donated a kidney to his wife on October 17th, 2006
Amanda Mathenia donated a kidney to her father, Terry, on October 25th, 2006

Sixteenth anniversary:
Lauren Chavis donated a kidney to Christina Hill on October 2nd, 2007
Tina Schwaderer donated a kidney to David Martin on October 2nd, 2007
Kim Jackson donated her left kidney to her mother on October 5th, 2007
Ann Davis donated a kidney to her husband on October 22nd, 2007
Khalifa Al Shaibani donated a kidney to his brother, Hamad, on October 26th, 2007
Diane Curtiss donated a kidney to her husband on October 30th, 2007

Fifteenth anniversary:
Nathan Pearl donated a kidney to his sister on October 7th, 2008
Edwin E. Rodriguez, Sr., donated a kidney to his son, Edwin E. Rodriguez, Jr., on October 9th, 2008
Anne-Marie Meyer donated her right kidney to her friend Susie on October 14th, 2008
Lorrie Whitfield donated a kidney to her husband on October 15th, 2008
Carole Stueben donated a kidney to her father on October 16th, 2008
Oliver Foggin donated a kidney to a friend on October 17th, 2008
Kathy Harris donated a kidney to her husband on October 23rd, 2008
Sarah McDaniel donated a kidney to a stranger in a list exchange on October 28th, 2008 (her mother received a deceased-donor kidney four weeks later)

Fourteenth anniversary:
Linda donated a kidney to her husband on October 8th, 2009
Faith McKinney donated a kidney to her cousin's husband, Steve Carter, on October 20th, 2009
Carmen Manning donated a kidney to her father on October 23rd, 2009
Phil Hoover gave his left kidney to one of his college professors from more than 20 years ago on October 28th, 2009

Thirteenth anniversary:
Rebecca Chambers Farwell donated a kidney to her husband, Keith, on October 19th, 2010. He died a short time later from a preventable complication.
Scott Jenkins donated a kidney to a stranger in need on October 22nd, 2010

Twelfth anniversary:
Shelby Morris donated a kidney to a friend on October 6th, 2011
Tricia Carter donated a kidney to her sister, Elaine, on October 16th, 2011
Brenda Walsh donated a kidney to her brother, Robert Rhinas, on October 17th, 2011
Tom Carr made a non-directed kidney donation on October 21st, 2011
Linda donated a kidney to her best friend from high school on October 28th, 2011
Sonya Martinez donated a kidney to her husband Jaime, on October 28th, 2011

Eleventh anniversary:
Linda Bernard donated a kidney on October 1st, 2012
Shana Roche donated part of her liver to her father, Michael Cox, on October 4th, 2012
Scott W. Barnes donated a kidney to his uncle, Billy Gene Crum, on October 18th, 2012

Tenth anniversary:
Christa Bolette Hassen donated part of her liver to four week old Maddox Raptosh on October 16th, 2013
Bruce Stanfill donated a kidney to his neighbor, Ben Bott, on October 23rd, 2013
Julie Chahal donated a kidney to her father, Ken, on October 23rd, 2013
June Krueger donated a kidney to her long time friend, Cindy Dischinger, on October 30th, 2013

Ninth anniversary:
Jon Aplin donated part of his liver to his friend, Jaci Rego, on October 2nd, 2014
Angel McCliggott donated a kidney on October 31st, 2014

Eighth anniversary:
Diane R Witte donated a kidney to her husband, Marvin, on their 21st wedding anniversary, October 12th, 2015
Jack Kenneth Omondi Ouko donated a kidney to his sister, Jael Akinyi Ouko, on October 13th, 2015
Lisa Mendpara donated a kidney to her husband, Ris***, on October 14th, 2015

Seventh anniversary:
Donna Aitken donated a kidney to her sister, Karen, on October 25th, 2016

Fourth anniversary:
Tom Davies made a non-directed kidney donation on October 16th 2019
Erin Kirchner donated a kidney anonymously, reportedly to a 14 year old girl in Minnesota, on October 22nd, 2019

Second anniversary:
Anita I. Costello donated a kidney to her husband, Zavier D. Mauldin, on October 25th, 2021