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Living Donation Forum / July 2023 Living Organ Donor Anniversaries

« Last post by Clark on July 03, 2023, 09:28:49 AM »

Best wishes to all remembering past milestones this month, be they successes in our shared adventures in altruistic action, or grief at tragedy that unfortunately accompanies us on our journeys. In July we particularly think of all those listed here. We are in awe of Barbara who donated fifty years ago! We cry, again, at the memory of Patti who never woke up from her donation surgery, and her husband/recipient staying with her daily, singing, for nearly four years.

Finally, we wonder about folks in the past eight years. Are social media media posts really sufficient memorial to the extraordinary acts we are party to? Please consider requesting we add your anniversary to our calendar at https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Take care, all!

Fiftieth anniversary:
Barbara Outz Johnson donated a kidney to her brother on July 5th, 1973

Forty-sixth anniversary:
Kathleen Mahoney donated a kidney to her brother when she was 20 and he was 14, on July 11th, 1977

Thirty-third anniversary:
Joan Schurman donated a kidney to her son on July 8th, 1990

Twenty-eighth anniversary:
Mare Medernach donated a kidney to her brother, Mark, on July 19th, 1995

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
David Scott donated a kidney to his sister, Gail Haisley, on July 10th, 1996

Twenty-third anniversary:
Laura Hawes donated part of her liver to her mother on July 25th, 2000
Patti McRoberts, a living kidney donor to her husband on July 31st, 2000, never woke up, and died on July 29th, 2004

Twenty-second anniversary:
Jenny Lee donated a kidney to her daughter on July 9th, 2001
Lisa Steele donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on July 12th, 2001
Stephanie Ritchon donated a kidney to her sister on July 16th, 2001

Twenty-first anniversary:
Jess Coleman donated part of his liver to his wife on July 3rd, 2002
Gerda A. Coakley donated a kidney to her brother on July 10th, 2002
Margaret donated part of her liver to her mother on July 12th, 2002
Michaela Robertson donated a kidney to her father, Calder Robertson, on July 16th, 2002
Ted Whitehead donated part of his liver to his brother on July 19th, 2002
Julie Michaels donated a kidney to a friend on July 24th, 2002
Tim Hurley donated a kidney to his son on July 24th, 2002

Twentieth anniversary:
Steven Seidner donated a kidney to his father on July 8th, 2003
Tom Falsey donated a kidney to a stranger on July 15th, 2003
Patricia donated a kidney to a stranger on July 22nd, 2003
Zell Kravinsky donated a kidney to a stranger on July 22nd, 2003
Donna Vogelgesang donated a kidney to her father on July 30th, 2003
Karen Kennedy donated a kidney to her mother on July 30th, 2003
Linda Marshall donated a kidney to her mom on July 30th, 2003

Nineteenth anniversary:
Gary W. donated a kidney to his father on July 7th, 2004
Lisa Quinn donated a kidney to her mother-in-law on July 7th, 2004
Susan Kuhn donated a kidney to her husband on July 9th, 2004
Kimberly Moity donated a kidney to her husband on July 13th, 2004
Mike donated a kidney to his uncle on July 20th, 2004
Barbara Romine donated a kidney to her daughter on July 28th, 2004
Sherry donated a kidney to her husband on July 28th, 2004

Sixteenth anniversary:
Irismer donated a kidney to her cousin on July 2nd, 2007
Kevin Vericker donated a kidney to his brother on July 5th, 2007
Ellen Sweeney donated part of her liver to her sister, Susan, on July 12th, 2007
Tristan Smith donated a kidney to his 11 year old cousin on July 12th, 2007
Tanya Moder donated a kidney to a stranger on July 17th, 2007
Charissa Cook donated a kidney to her father, Joseph DiBeneditto, on July 18th, 2007
Matt Jones donated a kidney to an unrelated person on July 18th, 2007
Laurie Fosburg Carlo donated a kidney to her sister-in-law on July 20th, 2007
Joyce Hennes donated a kidney to a friend on July 24th, 2007

Fifteenth anniversary:
Breann Dobben donated a kidney to her boyfriend on July 7th, 2008
Marilyn (Moe) Shea donated a part of her liver to her employer on July 1st, 2008
Jonas Read donated a kidney to his childhood friend, Austin Pierce, on July 31st, 2008

Fourteenth anniversary:
Anne Caldwell donated a kidney to a friend from church on July 7th, 2009
Jody Clement donated a kidney to her best friend, Faye, on July 8th, 2009
Macey Leigh donated a kidney to her cousin, Marc, on July 10th, 2009
Cathy Hopkins donated a kidney to her uncle on July 16th, 2009
Jordan Brough donated a kidney to a stranger (and then friend) on July 16th, 2009
Laurie Stuart donated a kidney to her ex-husband, Paul, on July 22nd, 2009

Thirteenth anniversary:
Nicki Hayes became a non-directed kidney donor on July 13th, 2010
Rasula Rashid donated a kidney to her daughter, Firoza, on July 13th, 2010
Tom O'Driscoll donated a kidney to Carolyn Branson, suggested by Chaya Lipschutz, on July 23rd, 2010
Nina Brown donated 60% of her liver to her sister-in-law's best friend, Lynn Deal, on July 15th, 2010
Dawn made a non-directed kidney donation on July 26th, 2010
Betty (Bryant) Shelton made a non-directed kidney donation on July 27th, 2010
Sara Guzman donated a kidney to her husband, Julian, on July 27th, 2010, after he received a liver transplant. He died on November 1st, 2010 due to other complications.
Jeanne Blackburn donated a kidney to an unidentified unrelated person on July 28th, 2010

Twelfth anniversary:
Jeremy Hunsicker donated a kidney to his sister, Naomi Schlaner, on July 7th, 2011
Rebecca Kelley donated a kidney to her ex-husband, Frank, on July 7th, 2011
David Frazier donated a kidney to his co-worker, Kristen Adams, on July 12th, 2011
Donna Reed Foster donated a kidney to Kerry Anthony Conrad, no relation, on July 13th, 2011
Patrick Liam O'Connor donated a kidney to his uncle, Francis Nolan, on July 14th, 2011
Julie donated a kidney to her adopted sister on July 15th, 2011
Leticia Rodriguez donated a kidney to her friend, Elizabeth Lopez, on July 20th, 2011
John Milligan donated a kidney to his wife, Jane, on July 22nd, 2011

Eleventh anniversary:
Robin donated a kidney to Toby, her son, on July 5th, 2012
Shelli Hudson-Altringer donated a kidney to her brother, Jim Hudson, on July 17th, 2012
Annie Wright donated a kidney to a co-worker as part of a chain on July 19th, 2012

Tenth anniversary:
Peggy Williams donated a kidney to an unrelated person on July 3rd, 2013
Maurice Bryant donated a kidney to his father, Alvin, on July 9th, 2013
Nancy B Ross donated a kidney on July 10th, 2013
Jessica Kuhn donated a kidney on July 30th, 2013
Sharon Topai donated a kidney to a dear friend on July 31st, 2013

Ninth anniversary:
Shipra Singh donated a kidney to his mother, Santosh Singh, on July 7th, 2014
Lynn Bakiares donated a kidney to her husband, Jeffrey, on July 9th, 2014
Randy Browder donated a kidney to his friend, Ronnie Scott, on July 10th, 2014
Ashley Hoyng donated a kidney to an unrelated person on July 22nd, 2014
Yanira Santos donated a kidney to her mother, Carmen Urena, on July 22nd, 2014
Susan Clark donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Yennifer Guitterez, on July 24th, 2014

Living Donation in the News / Transplant Center Decisions to Allocate Kidneys to Lower Waiting List Priority

« Last post by Clark on June 15, 2023, 12:12:51 PM »

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2805570

June 5, 2023
Characterization of Transplant Center Decisions to Allocate Kidneys to Candidates With Lower Waiting List Priority
Kristen L. King, MPH1,2; S. Ali Husain, MD, MPH, MA1,2; Miko Yu, MA1,2; et al
Joel T. Adler, MD, MPH3; Jesse Schold, PhD, MStat, MEd4,5; Sumit Mohan, MD, MPH1,2,6
JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(6):e2316936. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16936

Key Points
Question How often do kidney transplant centers skip candidates with the highest priority to place kidneys with recipients with lower-ranked allocation prioritization?

Findings This cohort study of 26 579 organ offers from 3136 donors to 4668 recipients found that at 11 geographically isolated transplant centers, kidneys were placed further down the match-run than the candidate with the highest priority 68% of the time. Lower-quality kidneys were statistically significantly more likely to be placed with candidates further down the list than higher-quality kidneys.

Meaning These findings suggest that transplant centers frequently skip over candidates to place kidneys with recipients with lower allocation priority, with limited oversight and transparency.

Abstract
Importance Allocation of deceased donor kidneys is meant to follow a ranked match-run list of eligible candidates, but transplant centers with a 1-to-1 relationship with their local organ procurement organization have full discretion to decline offers for higher-priority candidates and accept them for lower-ranked candidates at their center.
Objective To describe the practice and frequency of transplant centers placing deceased donor kidneys with candidates who are not the highest rank at their center according to the allocation algorithm.

Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study used 2015 to 2019 organ offer data from US transplant centers with a 1-to-1 relationship with their local organ procurement organization, following candidates for transplant events from January 2015 to December 2019. Participants were deceased kidney donors with a single match-run and at least 1 kidney transplanted locally and adult, first-time, kidney-only transplant candidates receiving at least 1 offer for a locally transplanted deceased donor kidney. Data were analyzed from March 1, 2022 to March 28, 2023.
Exposure Demographic and clinical characteristics of donors and recipients.
Main Outcomes and Measures The outcome of interest was kidney transplantation into the highest-priority candidate (defined as transplanted after zero declines for local candidates in the match-run) vs a lower-ranked candidate.

Results This study assessed 26 579 organ offers from 3136 donors (median [IQR] age, 38 [25-51] years; 2903 [62%] men) to 4668 recipients. Transplant centers skipped their highest-ranked candidate to place kidneys further down the match-run for 3169 kidneys (68%). These kidneys went to a median (IQR) of the fourth- (third- to eighth-) ranked candidate. Higher kidney donor profile index (KDPI; higher score indicates lower quality) kidneys were less likely to go to the highest-ranked candidate, with 24% of kidneys with KDPI of at least 85% going to the top-ranked candidate vs 44% of KDPI 0% to 20% kidneys. When comparing estimated posttransplant survival (EPTS) scores between the skipped candidates and the ultimate recipients, kidneys were placed with recipients with both better and worse EPTS than the skipped candidates, across all KDPI risk groups.

Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of local kidney allocation at isolated transplant centers, we found that centers frequently skipped their highest-priority candidates to place kidneys further down the allocation prioritization list, often citing organ quality concerns but placing kidneys with recipients with both better and worse EPTS with nearly equal frequency. This occurred with limited transparency and highlights the opportunity to improve the matching and offer algorithm to improve allocation efficiency.

Living Donation in the News / Shorten waiting times and increase chances of survival through living donations

« Last post by Clark on June 13, 2023, 08:44:20 PM »

https://www.breakinglatest.news/news/shorten-waiting-times-and-increase-chances-of-survival-through-living-donations/

Shorten waiting times and increase chances of survival through living donations

In view of the long waiting lists for donor organs, experts at the University Hospital Dresden want to focus more on living donations. “In order to give as many patients as possible the chance of a donor organ, the organ donation figures, which have been extremely low in recent years and have continued to decrease in comparison to other European countries, must improve significantly,” warned Medical Director Michael Albrecht on Saturday.

According to the German Foundation for Organ Transplantation, the number of organ donations in Saxony in 2022 fell again last year after two years of positive trends. Nationwide, there were 869 so-called postmortem organ donors last year, a drop of almost 7 percent compared to 2021. According to the foundation, 8,500 people in Germany would be waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Hundreds of patients’ health deteriorates so dramatically every year that a transplant is no longer possible or they die while waiting because a suitable organ cannot be found in time. In the past, 74 heart patients, 47 lung patients and 324 kidney patients who were on the waiting list died.
Around 6,600 people alone need a new kidney. That is four times as many patients as transplants could be placed in Germany in the course of the year. In total, even a hundred thousand people are dependent on dialysis. Some of these patients can no longer be put on the waiting list because they have no hope.

Living Donation in the News / High KDPI Kidneys Still Underused

« Last post by Clark on June 13, 2023, 08:40:00 PM »

https://www.renalandurologynews.com/home/conference-highlights/american-transplant-congress/high-kdpi-kidneys-still-underused/

High KDPI Kidneys Still Underused
Natasha Persaud

Use of high Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) kidneys with a score greater than 85 remained “modest” during 2010-2019, despite national efforts to increase it, investigators reported at the 2023 American Transplant Congress in San Diego, California.
Of 106,448 recipients of kidney transplants during 2010-2019 who were identified using the 2010-2019 United Network for Organ Sharing’s Organ Procurement and Transportation Network (UNOS-OPTN) database, only 6.8% received grafts with a KDPI score higher than 85, Ashesh P. Shah, MD, of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported on behalf of his team.
Age trends remained the same. Nearly a quarter (23.8%) of high KDPI transplantations were performed in recipients aged 70 years or older, 45.5% in those aged 60-69 years, 30.2% in those aged 30-59 years, and 0.5% in those younger than 30 years.
The likelihood of receiving a high KDPI kidney was a significant 30-fold higher for patients aged 70 years or older compared with those younger than 30 years. Patients with diabetes had significant 1.2-fold increased odds of accepting a high KDPI kidney. Black and Hispanic adults both had significant 1.3-fold increased odds of receiving a high KDPI kidney compared with White adults. Women and patients with glomerulonephritis or congenital rare familiar disease, however, had lower likelihood of receiving a high KDPI kidney.
“Pressures, such as outcomes reporting and perceived inadequate risk adjustment, disincentivize transplant programs from using high KDPI kidneys,” Dr Shah explained in an interview. “Older patients who have shorter expected post-transplant survival would probably be best served by receiving high KDPI allografts. These patients have the worst survival on the transplant list due to their age and comorbidities and would gain the most by being transplanted early.” According to the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network, high KDPI kidneys last more than 5.5 years.
Dr Shah suggested conducting a national clinical trial to better understand high KDPI kidneys, identify optimal candidates, and standardize practice. Transplant programs and patients should opt in to participate in such a national clinical trial and be exempt from punitive national reporting, he noted.
“We need to clearly establish best practices for evaluation of these organs and patient care after transplantation,” Dr Shah added. “The field needs more information about these kidneys, in terms of pulsatile pump perfusion parameters, biopsy rapid permanent section histology and, perhaps, novel biomarkers. The KDPI score also probably needs to be updated, such as the hepatitis C penalty.”
References
1. Shah A, Litvintchouk A, Amaefule A, et al. 10 Year trends and patterns of kidney transplantation according to KDPI score and factors associated with allocation of higher KDPI score. Presented at: ATC 2023; June 3-7, San Diego, California. Abstract B143.
2. Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) guide for clinicians. OPTN. Accessed on May 19, 2023.

Living Donation in the News / Tina Turner’s Husband Donated His Kidney to Her Six Years Before She Died

« Last post by Clark on June 13, 2023, 08:37:58 PM »

https://www.goalcast.com/tina-turner-erwin-bach-kidney-donation/

Tina Turner’s Husband Donated His Kidney to Her Six Years Before She Died So She Could Live Longer
By
Carl Wordsworth

Actions speak louder than words…
In May 2023, American icon Tina Turner passed away.
She had been battling a worsening kidney condition brought on by hypertension, which developed into renal failure.
She had penned an open letter for “Show Your Kidneys Love” — an awareness group concerning kidney health. In the letter, she shared that her husband actually donated his own kidney to her in 2017 — an act of selflessness and love — that saved her life.
Turner admitted in the letter that she long ignored the severity of her condition, which originated with a diagnosis of hypertension many years ago.
This developed over the years, worsening until it caused a stroke in 2009.
After the stroke, she learned that her kidneys had lost a considerable amount of function, and she began to come to terms with the seriousness of her situation.
She was placed on a prescription to monitor her blood pressure, but wrote, “with time I developed a fatal dislike of these pills.” She opted instead to see a homeopathic doctor, considering it an alternative to the medication.
However, this decision would prove to be pivotal, as she admitted: “I had not known that uncontrolled hypertension would worsen my renal disease and that I would kill my kidneys by giving up on controlling my blood pressure. I never would have replaced my medication by the homeopathic alternatives if I had had an idea how much was at stake for me.”
Faced with a life-or-death situation, she began a treatment called dialysis, which requires being hooked up to machinery for hours at a time to replace the typical function of one’s kidneys. At this point, her “kidney function had reached its all-time low.”

“In order to survive, I had to start dialysis,” she wrote. “It was my only option, but it was depressing to be connected to a machine for hours. For the next nine months, all my life was about dialysis.” At one point, she even considered medically assisted suicide.
How And When Tina Tuner’s Husband Stepped In
Turner met Erwin Bach in 1986– a decade after her infamous divorce from Ike Turner. Bach is a German music executive, who met the American star when he was tasked with picking her up from the Dusseldorf Airport.
Turner was 16 years older than him at the time but remembers feeling love at first sight. The two dated for 27 years before ultimately tying the knot in 2013.
They remained fiercely committed to each other, and Bach made the huge decision to donate one of his kidneys to her in 2017, the first step in a complex procedure.
She describes that he “shocked me by saying that he wanted to give me one of his kidneys,” adding that she was “overwhelmed by the enormity of his offer.”
In her open letter to raise awareness around her condition, she describes the time after her kidney transplant as “a never-ending up and down.”
“From time to time my body tried to reject the donor kidney as it frequently happens after transplantation. Every so often this required more hospital admissions. I kept feeling nauseous and dizzy, forgot things, and was scared a lot.”
However, the procedure was a success and helped extend Turner’s life by years.
Erwin did not want to lose his wife and was willing to give everything he could to keep her healthy. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and Bach truly put his money where his mouth was by stepping up to donate a kidney.
According to Donate Life, more than 90,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a kidney donation, and it can take an average of three to five years to receive a kidney from a deceased donor.
Bach’s decision to go under the knife for his wife seriously lessened this waiting time, which is typically the hardest part of the transplant procedure.
Though her condition ultimately claimed her life this past month, Bach’s decision to donate his kidney marks a bold move of selfless love. Humans have a tremendous capacity for empathy, and stories such as this can remind us how powerful a bond between two people can be.
When we truly do not want to lose someone, we are willing to go to any length. Erwin Bach’s decision to donate a kidney captures an unwavering kind of love that can inspire us all to step up for those we cherish.

Living Donation in the News / CVD, Diabetes Ups Hospitalization Risk for Living Kidney Donors

« Last post by Clark on June 13, 2023, 08:34:27 PM »

https://www.renalandurologynews.com/home/conference-highlights/american-transplant-congress/cvd-diabetes-ups-hospitalization-risk-for-living-kidney-donors/

CVD, Diabetes Ups Hospitalization Risk for Living Kidney Donors
Natasha Persaud

Living kidney donors may have increased risks for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) following nephrectomy. New study findings presented at the 2023 American Transplant Congress in San Diego, California, add that living kidney donors with diabetes or cardiovascular disease — risk factors for ESKD and its sequelae — are more likely to be hospitalized after donation.
Amy Chang, MD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues studied post-donation hospitalization records from 2265 living kidney donors who underwent nephrectomy from 1968 to 2019. Median age at donation was 46 years.
Hospitalization within a median 7 years affected 42% of donors. The most common reasons for hospitalization were surgery (59%), cardiovascular causes (16%), and urologic problems (6%). The investigators predicted that up to half of living kidney donors would eventually experience hospitalization following nephrectomy.
After adjusting for clinical characteristics, cardiovascular and diabetes history in the donor were significantly associated with 1.5- and 2.2-fold increased odds of hospitalization, the investigators reported. Hospitalization was not associated with patient sex, smoking history, education level, or income.
Hospitalization of living kidney donors may be “a sentinel event” for adverse outcomes, according to Dr Chang and colleagues.
“Since diabetes is the leading cause of [ESKD] in this population and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in an [ESKD] population, hospitalization in donors presents a crucial opportunity to avert the most adverse long-term outcomes described in this population.”
Reference
Chang A, Phung A, Mehta S, et al. All-cause hospitalization among live kidney donors after nephrectomy. Presented at: ATC 2023; June 3-7, San Diego, California. Abstract 480.

Living Donation in the News / Living Kidney Donation Barriers, Facilitators Identified J

« Last post by Clark on June 13, 2023, 08:31:42 PM »

https://www.renalandurologynews.com/home/conference-highlights/american-transplant-congress/living-kidney-donation-barriers-facilitators-identified/

Living Kidney Donation Barriers, Facilitators Identified
Jody Charnow

Interventions that raise awareness of living kidney donation (LKD), ease fears about donation surgery, and eliminate related medical expenses could increase willingness to be a living donor, investigators concluded based on public opinion survey findings they reported at the 2023 American Transplant Congress in San Diego, California.
The survey, conducted in June 2021 using an online platform, included 802 US adults aged 25 to 65 years. Respondents with greater knowledge about LKD were more likely to be White, female, older, and willing to consider LKD, Katya Kaplow, MPH, of NYU Langone Health in New York, and colleagues reported. Exposure within the past 12 months to content about LKD was reported by 22.2% of respondents and was associated with a greater willingness to donate.
Based on survey responses LKD barriers include concerns about health impact (76.3% of respondents) and medical expenses (65.7%) related to donation. Facilitators of LKD included information about the safety of the operation (78.7%), information that would lessen worries about health after donation (76.7%), and not having to pay for any medical expenses (76.3%).
Reference
Kaplow K, Ruck J, Thomas A, et al. National attitudes towards living kidney donation in the United States: Results of a public opinion survey. Presented at: ATC 2023, San Diego, California, June 3-7. Abstract C117.

Living Donation Forum / June 2023 Living Organ Donor Anniversaries

« Last post by Clark on May 31, 2023, 05:07:50 PM »

It's June, and in the Northern Hemisphere, folks are becoming distracted by warming weather and plans for summer frolic, whether traveling, staycation, or just snatched moments in the sunshine. If you will, please take a moment to remember with us the stories of selfless hope, desperate love, and new life, usually, usually long, sometimes less so. Imagine the courage of Elba hoping to save her baby daughter 44 years ago, then again seventeen years ago, when her gift of a kidney gave out, and Gabriela came to LDO. Gabriela poured out her heart to us and the world thereby. Katy offered to help, and did, giving Gabriela, and her mother, Elba, seven more years together. However you have come upon this list, each entry is a story of not one person, nor two, but extended families, friends, teams of medical professionals, often the media, too. Best wishes to all, and joy in living another day!

Forty-fourth anniversary:
Elba Ardenghi de Lacabe donated a kidney to her daughter, Gabriela, on June 26th, 1979. Gabriela survived until May 21st, 2014 with another kidney, dying from a condition unrelated to her transplants

Forty-second anniversary:
Theresa Wallace donated a kidney to her sister, Kathy Voelker, on June 10th 1981

Thirty-ninth anniversary:
Kathleen Saucier donated a kidney to her father on June 19th, 1984

Thirty-sixth anniversary:
Debbie Sanden donated a kidney to her hubby, Bill, on June 4th, 1987

Thirty-fourth anniversary:
Vanessa Opokuyamoah-Freeman donated a kidney to her brother in June, 1989

Thirty-third anniversary:
Margy Conley donated a kidney to her brother on June 19th, 1990

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Tonya Massey donated a kidney to her brother in June, 1996
Cheryl Carroll donated a kidney to her sister on June 10th, 1996

Twenty-sixth anniversary:
Shelly Dowdle donated a kidney to her son on June 17th, 1997
Ann Taylor donated a kidney to her brother on June 27th, 1997

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Adam Backstrom donated a kidney to a friend on June 2nd, 1999

Twenty-third anniversary:
Bobbiann donated a kidney to her father (since deceased) in June, 2000
Justin Rhodes donated a kidney to his brother on June 5th, 2000
Maureen Boncey donated a kidney to her husband, Paul, on June 5th, 2000
Handi Skorich donated part of his liver to a friend on June 9th, 2000

Twenty-second anniversary:
Karl Poythress donated a kidney to a cousin on June 1st, 2001
Chris Garrison donated a kidney to his brother on June 14th, 2001
Stacey M Gachi donated a kidney to her spouse, Nicholas T Gachi, on June 28th, 2001

Twenty-first anniversary:
Charity donated a kidney to a friend on June 3rd, 2002
Laura Odom donated part of her liver to her sister-in-law on June 19th, 2002
Laurie Bonner donated a kidney to her cousin, Melissa (Missy) Siemer, on June 28th, 2002

Twentieth anniversary:
Raymond Fuhrman donated a kidney to his second cousin on June 13th, 2003
Susan Riemenschneider Bentjen donated a kidney to her brother, Bob, on June 25th, 2003

Nineteenth anniversary:
Julie Newland donated a kidney to her daughter on June 7th, 2004
Jenny Oad donated a kidney to Mike Fogelman via LDO! on June 11th, 2004
Gwen donated a kidney to her father on June 15th, 2004
Madalene (Midge) Guererri donated part of her liver to her brother-in-law (now deceased) on June 15th, 2004
Jennifer Currao donated a kidney to a friend on June 16th, 2004
Angi Voris donated a kidney to her brother-in-law on June 24th, 2004
Jackie Mckee donated a kidney to her mother on June 29th, 2004

Eighteenth anniversary:
Diana Morrow donated a kidney to her mother, Barbara Robison, on June 1st, 2005
Marjorie Vukelich donated a kidney to her brother on June 2nd, 2005
Kim Council donated part of her liver to her sister on June 13th, 2005

Seventeenth anniversary:
Victoria Dadi donated a kidney to her mother on June 1st, 2006
Sue Entner donated a kidney to her husband on June 5th, 2006
Barbara Douglass donated a kidney to her sister on June 6th, 2006
Tiffany Cutts donated part of her liver to her mother on June 19th, 2006
Joe Eng donated a kidney to his sister on June 27th, 2006
Karen Endsley donated a kidney to her brother on June 29th, 2006

Sixteenth anniversary:
Laleise Curtiss donated a kidney to her sister, Kim, on June 1st, 2007
Dana Swajanen donated a kidney to her Dad on June 5th, 2007
Katy Gagnon donated a kidney to Gabriela, who she met on LDO, on June 5th, 2007. Gabriela survived until May 21st, 2014, dying from a condition unrelated to her transplants
Lydia Carollo donated a kidney anonymously on June 6th, 2007
Marlin McDaniel donated a kidney to his son on June 6th, 2007
Philip James donated his left kidney to a good friend on June 6th, 2007
Robert Rice donated a kidney to a stranger on June 20th, 2007
Stephanie McGoldrick donated a kidney to her father on June 27th, 2007
Janine McLendon donated a kidney to her friend Chris on June 29th, 2007

Fifteenth anniversary:
Brad Erhardt donated a kidney to Jeff Carlson, an unrelated coworker, on June 6th, 2008
Rebecca Bertha donated a kidney to her brother, Greg, on June 10th, 2008
Moish Drelich donated a kidney to his brother, Max, on June 13th, 2008
Denise Pettenger donated "Sidney", one of her kidneys, to her brother, Mark, on June 17th, 2008
Gillian Turner donated a kidney to her husband, Ian, on June 24th, 2008
Beth Johnson donated a kidney to her father on June 26th, 2008
Noby Takaki donated a kidney to her father on June 26th, 2008

Fourteenth anniversary:
Cathy Duke donated a kidney to her brother-in-law, David, on June 4th, 2009
Laura McEvoy donated a kidney to her sister-in-law, Beth Foster, on June 5th, 2009
Mary Villanueva donated a kidney to her brother, Saldemar, on June 10th, 2009
Valentine donated a kidney to her then 14 year old daughter on June 17th, 1988. Her daughter passed away in 2009
Bill Clarke donated a kidney to his father, Bill Clarke (yes there were confusions in the hospital!), June 23rd, 2009
Liz donated a kidney to her best friend, Jan, on June 24th, 2009
Ellen Billman donated a kidney to Tony, a co-worker turned friend, on June 25th, 2009

Thirteenth anniversary:
Jim Coletti donated a kidney to a friend on June 7th, 2010. Despite early setbacks, both he and his recipient are well
Peggy Zufall donated her left kidney to a co-worker's son on June 8th, 2010
Judy Rottinghaus became a non-directed kidney donor on June 15th, 2010
Kali donated her left kidney to her husband on June 22nd, 2010
Elaine Damo donated a kidney to her cousin, Patricia, on June 29th, 2010
Joey Whisenhunt donated a kidney to his wife on June 30th, 2010

Twelfth anniversary:
Lesley Elder donated a kidney to her ex on June 1st, 2011
Marcus Brooks donated a kidney to his Momma, Marie Johns, in June 2011, despite having to get all the preliminary testing and schedule the surgery in secret, against her wishes
Angela donated part of her liver to her mother-in-law, Aura Puello, on June 2nd, 2011
Jocelyn Sherman donated her left kidney to Dana Stibolt, a recipient she found here on LDO, on June 6th, 2011
Lauren Herschel became a non-directed kidney donor on June 7th, 2011
Lisa Fulcher donated a kidney to her best friend's father, Chuck, on June 9th, 2011
Angelica donated her right kidney to her husband on June 10th, 2011
Erika Garcia donated a kidney to a fellow church-goer on June 13th, 2011
Jenn Hames donated a kidney at Johns Hopkins on June 20th, 2011, in exchange for one her husband received in April 2011
Peter Robinson donated a kidney to his sister, Christina Brooker, on June 28th, 2011

Eleventh anniversary:
Judy Willson donated a kidney to her cousin-in-law, Gary Pate, on June 5th, 2012
Elizabeth Sims donated a kidney to her friend, Fernando Diaz, on June 12th, 2012
Ryan Schaffer donated a kidney to his big brother, Jason Lundell, on June 18th, 2012
Vickie Carmody donated a kidney to her husband, Christopher, on June 19th, 2012
Liz Dailey donated a kidney to her brother, Joe Broin, on June 21st, 2012. "It has been an experience that I will never forget. To be able to give someone that you love a second chance at living a healthy, happy life is an amazing feeling.”
Vicki Whitelaw donated a kidney to her friend, Sarah Key, on June 27th, 2012
Donna Aceto donated a kidney to Erin, her friend, on June 29th, 2012

Tenth anniversary:
Brad Witt donated a kidney to his brother on June 3rd, 2013
Dave donated a kidney to his Dad on June 20th, 2013
Angie A. donated a kidney to her brother, Bill, on June 26th, 2013. Despite his dying 6 months later, she would do it again to give him the five good months he had.
Colleen Glenney donated a kidney as the non-directed leader of a three donor-recipient pairing on June 27th, 2013

Ninth anniversary:
Kristina Wadsworth donated a kidney to Katrina Fullmer on June 3rd, 2014
Cleton Sarmiento donated a kidney to his sister, Angelica Bergado, on June 9th, 2014

Seventh anniversary:
Beth Simpson donated a kidney to her father, Ronald, on June 1st, 2016

Sixth anniversary:
Amanda Hall donated a kidney to her father, Lonnie Brown, on June 26th, 2017

First anniversary:
Michele Valdez became a non-directed kidney donor on June 7th, 2022. She hasn't yet learned anything about her recipient. "It was one of the best decisions." She's now being tested as a liver donor.
Lauren Miller donated a kidney to benefit Karol Frank’s sister Bonnie on June 22nd, 2022.

Living Donation in the News / Met police investigate more organ trafficking cases in UK

« Last post by Clark on May 08, 2023, 04:12:06 PM »

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/05/met-police-investigate-more-organ-trafficking-cases-in-uk

Met police investigate more organ trafficking cases in UK

Modern slavery team reveals further allegations of people being trafficked to London for body parts

The Metropolitan police is investigating more cases of organ trafficking in the UK after new victims came forward following the first conviction for the offence under modern slavery laws.
Detectives from Scotland Yard’s modern slavery and child exploitation team have said they are investigating more allegations of people being trafficked for their body parts to London and other areas of the UK.

They also confirmed that Operation Manoa, the investigation that led to the conviction at the Old Bailey of three kidney traffickers, including a senior Nigerian politician, Ike Ekweremadu, “continues to be ongoing”.
Det Supt Andy Furphy, who leads the modern slavery team for the Met, paid tribute to the bravery of the victim in the case, a 21-year-old street trader from Lagos who was trafficked to London as a potential kidney donor for Ekweremadu’s sick daughter, Sonia.
The man, who cannot be named because the identity of victims of modern slavery are protected, was falsely presented as a willing donor to a private renal unit at London’s Royal Free hospital with forged documents falsely claiming he was Sonia’s cousin. When the proposed transplant was rejected, the victim fled to the police in fear for his life because he believed he was being lined up for another transplant in Nigeria.
Speaking at a media briefing, Furphy said he could not disclose details of ongoing investigations or the numbers involved, but said the cases were “not just in London – it’s farther afield as well”.
He added: “It’s difficult to say how serious it is in the country right now. We often find as soon as something gets highlighted in the public sphere … others victims come forward. This is now not the only investigation we’ve got into organ harvesting.”

Furphy cited World Health Organization estimates that suggest up to 10% of organ transplants globally are done on the black market. “In the UK we don’t see that – it is still a tiny percentage. I don’t think the true extent of it is truly known both at home and abroad. We’re looking to build those intelligence gaps,” he said.
The kidney harvesting case highlighted vulnerabilities in the UK’s vetting system for living transplant. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, in his sentencing remarks, echoed the prosecution’s suggestion that “a lesson to be learned from this case is that clinicians must be alive to the risk of trafficking and report cases like this when concerns arise”. The judge said he entirely agreed.
As a result of the case, the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), which regulates transplants, has reviewed hundreds of similar operations since 2017. In a statement it said: “When the HTA learned of this case, we immediately took steps to review all cases with potentially similar features, with a focus on those cases with overseas donors and cases in the private sector. This review looked at just over 600 cases.”
The Old Bailey heard that Chris Agbo, 50, an NHS consultant nephrologist at Hinchingbrooke hospital in Cambridgeshire who runs Vintage Health, a medical tourism company, was paid by the Ekweremadus to help facilitate the proposed kidney transplant. He also helped arrange an earlier successful kidney transplant at the Royal Free involving another man suspected of being trafficked from Nigeria, the jury was told.
The Old Bailey heard that Agbo examined the abdomen of the victim trafficked by the Ekweremadus, who then feared he was being lined up for another transplant in Nigeria.
North West Anglia NHS trust confirmed that Agbo was employed at Hinchingbrooke hospital, saying it was “unable to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing”.
Agbo, president of the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain, has been approached for comment.
Detectives investigating the organ trafficking plot said the HTA and clinicians involved in transplants should do more to ensure the police were alerted when there were concerns about organ trafficking.
Furphy said: “We have since done some significant training with the Royal Free hospital. We are in wider discussions with the NHS as well.”
DI Andy Owen, who was also involved in the investigation, said: “There’s definitely some sort of learning to come out of the hospitals and that’s something that we’re engaged in as a separate matter. They [the Royal Free] did raise safeguarding concerns and we’re doing a separate piece of work to up-skill them around modern slavery and the action they should be taking.”
He added: “The main piece of our work is with the Human Tissue Authority to ensure that they have processes in place to be alerting us as the police [when there are concerns about trafficking].”
In a statement, the HTA said it would continue to ensure that living organ donations were made with consent, free of any duress, coercion or reward. It said: “Our guidance for transplant teams and independent assessors includes when and how to raise safeguarding concerns. We continue to focus on identifying and addressing any areas we might further tighten and refine. We have also increased the scrutiny we give to cases that involve overseas donors and cases taking place in the private sector.
A spokesperson for the Royal Free said: “We continue to work closely with the Met to ensure all those working in our transplant services are aware of the law around organ trafficking and know what to do if they suspect a crime has been committed.
“In addition, the trust has worked with the Met and the HTA to develop a training package that can be used by other trusts to increase awareness and understanding of organ trafficking among healthcare staff.”

Living Donation in the News / Iranians Selling Their Organs Abroad Due To Poverty

« Last post by Clark on May 08, 2023, 04:01:33 PM »

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202305040392

Iranians Selling Their Organs Abroad Due To Poverty

With the deepening economic crisis and skyrocketing inflation, the sale of body organs abroad is reaching alarming levels in Iran, local media warns.
Organ trafficking has become a major problem with people selling kidneys, liver, cornea, bone marrow, sperm, and ovum out of poverty.
Jahan-e-Sanat daily wrote Thursday that some middlemen send the prospective donors [N.B.: sellers] to neighboring countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Iraq to sell their body parts for $7,000 to $15,000.
This is the result of the country’s economic crisis, which has left many people struggling to survive. In some cases, people have even been forced to sell their organs to pay for medical bills or to support their families.
The organ trafficking industry has been estimated to be worth millions of dollars, with organs being sold to wealthy individuals. The organs are usually obtained through coercion or deception, with some being promised money and then never receiving it once the organ has been taken out.
Although Iranian law prohibits the sale or purchase of body organs, the online market is booming, and no one is taking action.
“My blood type is O negative, and I am 22 years old. I will sell my kidney for 5 billion rials (10,000 USD). Due to my financial issues, I have no choice but to sell my kidney. If you want my liver, I will sell a part of it for 2 billion rials (4,000 USD),” a young man told Jahan-e-Sanat.
According to government figures, more than 1,480 people receive a kidney transplant from a living donor [N.B.: seller] in Iran annually, which is about 55 percent of the total of 2,700 transplants each year.

[N.B.: There are no more living donors in Iran, only sellers.]