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Living Donation Forum / May 2023 Living Organ Donor Anniversaries

« Last post by Clark on May 02, 2023, 06:06:53 PM »

Twenty years for me and my recipient! More for many, less for even more. May these remembrances bring you joy, and if not, heart’s ease. Best wishes, all!

Thirtieth anniversary:
Kay donated a kidney to her sister Penny on May 27th, 1993

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Katy Moyer donated a kidney to her mother, Kris McCallum, on May 8th, 1996
Laura Robinson donated a kidney to her father on May 9th, 1996

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Monique Martin donated a kidney to her niece on May 7th, 1999

Twenty-second anniversary:
Pauline Snyder donated part of her liver to her sister on May 2nd, 2001
Bryan Urmetz donated a kidney to his brother on May 5th, 2001

Twenty-first anniversary:
Paul J. Fuller donated part of his liver to his father on May 7th, 2002
Terri Craft donated a kidney to her stepfather on May 14th, 2002
Lisa Georges donated a kidney to her spouse on May 24th, 2002

Twentieth anniversary:
Debi Ashley-Shaw donated a kidney to a friend on May 1st, 2003
Betty Minton donated a kidney to her mother on May 7th, 2003
John Hodges donated his left kidney to Margo Zelermyer on May 8th, 2003
Tina Hayman donated a kidney to her father on May 12th, 2003
Gigi Snyder donated a kidney to her son, Michael, on May 14th, 2003
Kris Wymenga donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on May 16th, 2003
Debby Rappe donated a kidney to her sister on May 21st, 2003
Dawn Chandler donated a kidney to her brother on May 28th, 2003

Nineteenth anniversary:
D. Patrick Dewey donated a kidney to his brother on May 4th, 2004
Pete Ramirez donated a kidney to his fiance, Connie Martinez, on May 4th, 2004

Eighteenth anniversary:
Helen Smunt donated a kidney to her daughter on May 2nd, 2005
Rob Halverson donated a kidney to a stranger on May 9th, 2005
Daniel Griffiths donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on May 17th, 2005
Melissa Semione donated a kidney to a stranger on May 17th, 2005

Seventeenth anniversary:
Chris McDonough donated a kidney on May 4th, 2006, to a man he didn't meet until after being tested for compatibility
Christine Shedrick donated part of her liver to her sister-in-law on May 4th, 2006
Nancy Shotland donated a kidney to an unrelated person on May 4th, 2006
Julie Sutton donated a kidney to her brother on May 5th, 2006
Barbara donated a kidney to her daughter on May 11th, 2006
Brenda Joy Hubbard Oates donated a kidney to her brother, David M. Hubbard, on May 11th, 2006
Elise Romero donated a kidney to her dad on May 17th, 2006
John P. McGuinness donated a kidney to a stranger, Helen Taranto, which started a three way transfer, on May 31st, 2006

Sixteenth anniversary:
Timothy Cullen donated part of his liver to his brother on May 1st, 2007
Vicki Stronge donated a kidney to her father on May 2nd, 2007
Melanie Hall donated a kidney to her daughter on May 3rd, 2007
Joe Steward donated a kidney to a friend on May 16th, 2007

Fifteenth anniversary:
Billy donated a kidney to his mother, Anne, on May 6th, 2008
Amanda Smith donated a kidney to her aunt, Sherry Figgins, on May 9th, 2008
Jennifer Fenimore donated a kidney to her Mom on May 13th, 2008
Phillip Berry donated a kidney to a friend on May 15th, 2008
William Ransom donated a kidney to his father-in-law, Ernie Beabes, on May 15th, 2008
Steve Estlund donated a kidney to his Uncle Paul on May 21st, 2008

Fourteenth anniversary:
Laura Ranzenberger donated part of her liver to her sister, Carolyn Eversole, on May 4th, 2009
Kelly Wawrzyniakowski donated a kidney to her friend's daughter, 3 year old Mira, on May 13th, 2009

Thirteenth anniversary:
Melissa Temple donated a kidney to her aunt, Pam Libby, on May 4th, 2010
Debbie Heimlich Heffley donated a kidney to her mom on May 21st, 2010

Twelfth anniversary:
Ann E. Parker donated a kidney to a friend, James Blank, on May 10th, 2011
Sarah donated her left kidney to younger sister, Kaylah, on May 10th, 2011
Sara George donated a kidney to her sister, Molly, on May 12th, 2011
Amy Bove donated a kidney to her little brother, Nathan Wilcox, on May 24th, 2011
Josh Perkins made a non-directed kidney donation on May 24th, 2011

Eleventh anniversary:
Ray Nelson donated a kidney to his nephew, Zakry Miller, on May 7th, 2012
Alexandra Redenius donated a kidney to Steve Ferkau, an unrelated person, on May 8th, 2012
Peggy Fischer donated a kidney to her daughter, Breanna, on May 8th, 2012
Liz Nicholson donated a kidney to Jeff on May 10th, 2012
Vickie Garrett donated a kidney to her friend, Teresa Dixon, on May 14th, 2012
Donna Thomas donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Joe Gordon, on May 16th, 2012
Rebecca Palacio donated a kidney to her aunt on May 23rd, 2012

Tenth anniversary:
Martin Hubbard donated a kidney to his daughter, Karen, on May 2nd, 2013
June Irving donated a kidney to her daughter, Alison Brown, on May 15th, 2013
Cyndi Kahn donated a kidney to her friend, Luther L., on May 24th, 2013
Athena Overstreet donated a kidney to Tera O'Brien, her cousin's wife, on May 28th, 2013

Eighth anniversary:
Estephanie Zuniga donated a kidney to her husband, Max, on May 1st, 2015
Charmin Heimer donated a kidney to her sister's husband's brother, David Hutzel, on May 19th, 2015
Christine Arnemann donated a kidney to Andi Ribera, an unrelated person, on May 20th, 2015

Seventh anniversary:
Tessa Demers donated a kidney to her best friend, Caitlyn Lambert-Hutchinson, on May 16th, 2016
Frank Hodowal donated a kidney to his wife, Wendy, on May 26th, 2016
Krista Romer-McCarthy donated a kidney to an unknown person on May 26th, 2016

Living Donation in the News / Michigan lawmakers consider tax break for live organ donors

« Last post by Clark on April 27, 2023, 01:58:56 PM »

https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/michigan-house-bill-tax-break-live-organ-donor-17920436.php

Michigan lawmakers consider tax break for live organ donors

Angela Mulka

State Rep. Felicia Brabec, D — Pittsfield, introduced House Bill 4361 on April 11 to offer a tax break for live organ donors.

For tax years that begin on and after January 1, 2023, HB 4361 would amend Michigan’s income tax act of 1967 to allow taxpayers to “claim a 1-time credit against the tax imposed by this part equal to the live organ donation expenses incurred during the tax year for which a live organ donation occurs or $5,000.00, whichever is less,” according to the bill.
If Michigan were to be graded on its living organ donor protection laws, it would get an “F” according to the American Kidney Fund.
Since 2021, the American Kidney Fund has graded each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on how well their laws encourage living organ donation and reduce barriers for living donors.

Most transplanted organs are from deceased donors, and the wait for an organ from a deceased donor can last years, according to the organization. Living donation offers an alternative for individuals on the transplant waiting list and increases the existing organ supply for everyone.
“Living organ donors also require two to 12 weeks of recovery following surgery before returning to work, so job protection for living organ donors during recovery time is essential,” the American Kidney Fund wrote in a February 2023 press release. “Direct reimbursements, tax credits and tax deductions can offset all or part of the financial losses for donors that are associated with travel and lodging for testing and the surgery, medications that may be required after surgery, and other incidental costs not covered by insurance.”
“There are 2,400 critically ill Michiganders waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, plus another 16,000 are enduring dialysis and might benefit from a transplant,” Dorrie Dils, president and CEO of Gift of Life Michigan, an organization that runs the state’s organ and tissue donation program, said in a recent statement.
The state’s donor registry’s growth has slowed in recent years for a “variety of reasons,” according to the organization. Among them is a change that allows residents to renew their driver’s license or state ID every 12 years instead of eight. That means residents are less frequently interacting in person with branch office clerks who are required by law to ask the donor registry question.
About 95% of registrations happen during transactions at the Secretary of State. A majority of Michiganders are already registered — 56% — but rates are higher in other states.
A financial incentive for live organ donations could raise ethical issues. But the National Kidney Foundation said 21 states provide tax breaks to living organ donors as of June 2022.
HB 4361 awaits a hearing in the House Health Policy Committee.
On average, 17 Michigan residents have organ transplants every week, according to Gift of Life Michigan. Organ donors can save up to eight lives and tissue donors can substantially improve life for up to 75 sick, injured or blind people.

Living Donation in the News / Press Release: Living Donor Circle of Excellence: ALF joins AST

« Last post by Clark on April 27, 2023, 01:52:40 PM »

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-liver-foundation-announces-strategic-partnership-with-american-society-of-transplantations-living-donor-circle-of-excellence-301809655.html

American Liver Foundation Announces Strategic Partnership with American Society of Transplantation's Living Donor Circle of Excellence

American Liver Foundation (ALF) and the American Society of Transplantation (AST) are pleased to announce a new partnership within the Living Donor Circle of Excellence. ALF will become the first liver organization to join AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence and become a strategic partner. The Living Donor Circle of Excellence celebrates employers which implement internal policies that provide salary support to their employees who choose to become living organ donors.

"We are so proud to become a Strategic Partner in AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence and work together to break down barriers to living donor liver transplant," said Lorraine Stiehl, Chief Executive Officer, American Liver Foundation and caregiver to husband, Chris, who received a living donor transplant. "Too often patients do not pursue living donation because their potential donor cannot afford to take time off for the surgery and recovery. As a caregiver, I understand the importance of having job security and paid leave in place so that someone can become a living donor to a friend, family member or anyone who may need it. That's why we are proud to offer paid leave for living organ donation to our employees at ALF and join the Living Donor Circle of Excellence."
John Gill, MD, Founder of the Living Donor Circle of Excellence said, "Living donors are heroes amongst us, their gift is lifesaving for patients in need of a kidney or liver transplant and has a huge positive impact on society. Patients facing life-threatening diseases are able to live normal lives, raise their families, and participate in their communities. By supporting living organ donors, we are also building stronger communities."

Increasing access to living donor liver transplantation is a key issue ALF is working to address. Living donor liver transplantation lags far behind living kidney donation. In 2022, living donor liver transplants represented only 6% of all liver donations compared to 24% for living kidney donations. As fatty liver disease becomes more common in the U.S., more people will progress to liver failure and require a transplant. Research estimates that fatty liver disease, also called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is present in up to 75% of overweight people and in more than 90% of people with severe obesity. In the U.S. NAFLD affects between 80 and 100 million people, among whom nearly 25% progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a dangerously progressive form of the disease. Approximately 11% of NASH patients will develop cirrhosis or liver failure. NASH is expected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. by 2025.
The Living Donor Circle of Excellence is a no-cost company recognition program for employers that provide paid leave for living donors. As a Strategic Partner, ALF is committed to expanding the network of nationwide employers which offer paid leave for living organ donors to help offset the financial burdens associated with giving the gift of life. Visit livingdonorcircle.com/partner/ALF to learn more.
Currently, there are over 120 members in the Circle of Excellence throughout North America, covering over 2.2 million employees. 70 employees were able to use living donor leave benefits and donate an organ. The Circle encourages other employers to follow the American Liver Foundation to help others in need of life-saving organ transplants. Learn more about AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence at livingdonorcircle.com.
About the American Liver Foundation
American Liver Foundation's (ALF) mission is to promote education, advocacy, support services and research for the prevention, treatment, and cure of liver disease. Founded in 1976, ALF is the nation's largest patient advocacy organization for people with liver disease. ALF makes an impact in the fight against liver disease by educating patients, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals; advocating for patients and their families; funding medical research to advance treatments for liver patients; and creating public awareness campaigns about liver wellness and disease prevention. ALF is the trusted voice for all patients and families living with liver disease. Learn more at liverfoundation.org or by calling 1-800-GO-LIVER (800-465-4837).
About the American Society of Transplantation
Founded in 1982, the American Society of Transplantation (AST) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation and improving patient care by promoting research, education, advocacy, organ donation, and service to the community. The society is the largest transplant organization in North America (consisting of more than 4,000 professional members) and is recognized as the premier society for transplantation. AST members are sought out as transplant experts and advocates. Other transplant organizations, policy makers, regulatory agencies, payors, academic institutions, and the general public look to the AST for guidance, research, and resources related to transplantation. To learn more, visit: www.myast.org.
Contact:
Julie Kimbrough
JKimbrough@liverfoundation.org

Living Donation in the News / Organ donors get surprise meeting with lives they helped save [video]

« Last post by Clark on April 27, 2023, 01:50:07 PM »

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/organ-donors-surprise-meeting-lives-125302042.html

Organ donors get surprise meeting with lives they helped save

Organ donors Mark and Lynn Scotch get a surprise meeting live on TODAY with two of the people who their selfless donations helped save. Mark reunites with Hugh Smith and Lynn meets 2-year-old Cooper Thompson for the first time.

[video]

Living Donation in the News / NYPD Officer Vadrien Alston meets woman who donated kidney after seeing story

« Last post by Clark on April 27, 2023, 01:45:53 PM »

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nypd-officer-vadrien-alston-meets-kidney-donor-sophia-jackson/

NYPD Officer Vadrien Alston meets woman who donated kidney after seeing her story on CBS2

BY ALI BAUMAN

NEW YORK -- Nearly two years ago, CBS New York introduced you to a Brooklyn mother who was desperately searching for a new kidney.
Now, she is back at work as an NYPD officer and finally meeting the woman who selflessly saved her life after seeing the story on CBS2 News.
Back in 2021, CBS2's Ali Bauman first interviewed NYPD Officer Vadrien Alston, a mother of two with renal failure and in dire need of a new kidney.
"So I'm just patiently waiting," Alston said at the time.
That story aired around the country, when Brooklyn native Sophia Jackson happened to see it on a TV in Maryland.

Jackson was compelled to donate her own kidney, and even though Jackson was not a match for Officer Alston, by donating on her behalf, Alston was able to move up on the waiting list.
"If I can help, why not?" Jackson said after her kidney surgery in October 2022.
"On behalf of the entire NYPD, we say thank you for giving the gift of life, the gift of hope and the gift of optimism," said NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper to Jackson on Tuesday, three months after Officer Alston got her new kidney.
Alston was finally able to meet Jackson, the woman who saved her life, in NYPD headquarters Tuesday.
"It was just finally nice after watching your story and listening to your interview to just finally be able to meet you in person. Thank you," Jackson said to Alston.
"Thank you. I can't wait for my children to meet you," Alston replied. "Just to show my children that, you know what, even though we live in a world where it's just totally crazy, and sometimes I go home and tell them the crazy stories, that you still have some of the most magnificent people in the world that don't mind going above and beyond for a stranger. And what you did is just living proof of that."
Jackson said she never wavered in her decision to donate.
"What was it about seeing her that made you decide, I'm gonna give my kidney?" Bauman asked.
"Her optimism, actually," replied Jackson.
That optimism never made Alston doubt this day would come.
"I know that once you ask God for something, He will deliver," said Alston, "and you just have to keep the faith."
Even when it comes from the unexpected.
"Without the first story on CBS, Ms. Jackson would have never known about Vadrien," NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban said. "We owe a special thank you to Ali Bauman and the team at CBS."
The average wait for a kidney is eight to ten years. Right now, there are more than 97,000 people in the United States waiting for a new one.
"Some people feel as if when they donate the organ, that it's gonna prohibit them from living a normal life, but it doesn't. It doesn't," Alston said. "What it actually does is it helps save someone else so they can live a normal life as well."
After meeting each other's families, Officer Alston brought Jackson to Transit District 30 in Brooklyn so she could meet her family in blue.
"Thank you for putting yourself out there," Jackson told Alston.
"Thank you for hearing me," Alston replied.

It took nearly two years, two states and two kidneys, but now these two women are connected for life.
For more information on how you can become a living kidney donor, visit kidneyregistry.org.

Living Donation in the News / Upholding the sanctity of life: Organ donation and Jewish tradition - opinion

« Last post by Clark on April 27, 2023, 12:20:55 PM »

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-739964

Upholding the sanctity of life: Organ donation and Jewish tradition - opinion
Regrettably, some Orthodox opinions still prohibit posthumous organ donation due to the misguided belief that brain death is not considered death.
By ELIYAHU FEDERMAN

Organ donation is a powerful testament to valuing life. It embodies the idea that even in death, we cherish life so deeply that we willingly offer our bodies to save others.

Lucy Dee, a victim of a terrorist attack in the Jordan Valley, exemplified this dedication to life. Tragically, Lucy and her two daughters were murdered as she was driving them on a family vacation. She and her husband had previously agreed that if she were ever declared brain dead, she would become an organ donor. In accordance with their decision, Lucy’s heart, lungs, liver and kidneys were transplanted, ultimately saving numerous lives.

Or Eshkar, a victim of a terror attack in Tel Aviv, is another recent poignant example of the life-saving impact of organ donation. His family’s altruistic decision to donate his organs saved five lives, including a 75-year-old, a 65-year-old, two middle-aged individuals and a one-year-old child.

Regrettably, some Orthodox opinions still prohibit posthumous organ donation due to the misguided belief that brain death is not considered death, even though there has never been a single case in medical history where someone truly brain dead was revived.

In an advice column, Rabbi Aron Moss cites Jewish legal authorities that discourage posthumous organ donation claiming that “to remove organs from a brain-dead patient while the heart is still beating would be tantamount to murder.” Of course, that view is totally inconsistent with medical science and reality.

According to the American Academy of Neurology, brain death constitutes an irreversible loss of all brain functions, including the brainstem, making it the accepted definition of death in the medical community. While Chabad lacks an official stance on this matter, its founder’s primary philosophical text (though not a legal treatise), Tanya, elaborates in Chapters 12 and 51 that the heart, despite being central, obtains vitality from the soul through the brain. This viewpoint also suggests to me that brainstem death, rather than heart cessation, should be the actual definition of death.

During Passover, we refrained from consuming fermented foods, called hametz. Fermentation is a process of decay, which symbolizes death. Instead, we eat matza to demonstrate our rejection of death and our celebration of life. Egyptian culture, in contrast, glorified death and preserving the dead through monuments like the pyramids and practices such as mummification. Their sacred text was called the Book of the Dead, while the Jewish Torah is often referred to as Torat Chaim, the Book of Life. Judaism exalts life.
THANKFULLY, THERE are some improvements happening. Following the implementation of a 2010 law that grants donor-card holders priority in organ allocation, Israel has experienced a significant increase in organ donations in subsequent years. Undoubtedly, donating blood, plasma and nonvital organs, like kidneys, is universally regarded as a mitzvah, a good deed, across all Jewish legal perspectives.

It is particularly notable that Orthodox Jews have a high rate of living kidney donations. The University of Chicago Divinity School reported that the majority of donated kidneys in Israel come from the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel. This is often attributed to the strong emphasis on altruism and the value of saving a life within the Orthodox Jewish community.

Disagreements exist when it comes to posthumous organ donation due to the misguided Jewish legal interpretation that death occurs at heart cessation, not brain cessation. The organs are harvested at brain cessation but the heart can still be kept artificially alive.

However, many Orthodox Jewish legal decisors, like Adin Steinsaltz, Moshe Gutnick and many others, support posthumous donation. In fact, the Halachic Organ Donor Society lists over 340 rabbis with over 85% of them, including the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, defining brain stem death as death and therefore endorsing posthumous donation.

Opposing posthumous organ donation
Some Orthodox Jews also oppose posthumous organ donation because they think it violates principles like honoring the dead and defiling a body. They argue that a body should remain intact after death in preparation for the resurrection. However, this objection is faulty because the concept of saving a life, known as pikuach nefesh, overrides these concerns. Donating organs to save a life is a higher priority and a more significant commandment than preserving a dead body.

Nevertheless, many in the Orthodox world continue to cling to the preservation of dead body parts, even at the expense of saving lives. Perhaps this is a vestige of the Egyptian culture’s obsession with preserving the dead, a misreading of the true medical definition of death, which is irreversible brain stem death or simply an irrational fear.

But the inspiring stories of Dee and Eshkar, both victims of terrorism, demonstrate the power of turning tragedy into hope for others. Their families’ selfless decisions to donate organs embody the Jewish value of cherishing life. Organ donation saves lives and it is crucial for the Orthodox Jewish community to fully embrace its life-saving potential.

Living Donation in the News / Why I chose to celebrate life by becoming a living kidney donor

« Last post by Clark on April 27, 2023, 12:18:15 PM »

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2023/04/23/austin-dell-seton-medical-center-helps-living-kidney-donor-celebrate-life/70088592007/

Why I chose to celebrate life by becoming a living kidney donor

Nicole Villalpando

The clapping follows me as my hospital bed rolls through the hallways on the second floor at Dell Seton Medical Center on March 21. Nurses, technicians, doctors, therapists and hospital administrators line the path and clap for me as I make my way to the operating room.
We pause in a hallway for me to ring the Living Donor Bell. I get teary.
This is really happening. I am donating my left kidney to a person in Massachusetts I do not know.
I am taking one of the 96,066 people in the United States currently waiting for a kidney off the list. Last year, only 25,499 people nationally received a kidney transplant, about a fourth of the people who needed one. My kidney recipient will not be one of 13 people a day who die waiting for a kidney.
Checking the box
When I got my first driver's license on my 16th birthday, I checked "organ donor" on the application form. Why? If I died in car accident, I would want my organs to help somebody after I'm gone.
I knew you could give a kidney while still alive but thought you had to give it to a family member or someone you knew. My kidney had to stay in place for my family or future family in case they needed one, I thought.
Then I became a health reporter in January 2022. I covered the first kidney transplants at Dell Seton as it began a program to join an existing one at St. David's North Austin Medical Center. One of those first surgeries in February 2022 was a woman giving a kidney altruistically, meaning she did not know her donor. She signed up through the National Kidney Registry to be a donor and then was matched with someone who needed a kidney.
I was inspired and asked myself: Would I ever do that? Could I ever do that?
The National Kidney Registry is a nonprofit that facilitates living kidney donations. Often, it helps people who need a kidney but don't have a relative or friend who is a match. The recipient and willing donor begin what is called a chain, with each going through a review process until the right donor and recipient are matched. It can take several pairs of donors and recipients until everyone is matched.

In September, I covered a story of another altruistic donor who made his donation at St. David's North Austin Medical Center. He was the first person in Texas to be part of a pilot program from Donate Life America, a nonprofit that registers organ donors. Instead of clicking a box when you get your driver's license or renew your car registration to be an organ donor, you click a box online noting that you are interested in being a living kidney donor.
Through this donor, I learned about the voucher system. A living donor can name up to five people to receive a voucher should they need a kidney. These people would have priority for a kidney because their loved one had donated one and could no longer donate to them. Donors also are given priority if they should need a kidney in the future. The chance of that, though, for my gender and age, is 0.2% at the 20-year mark after donation.
My fear that I needed to keep my kidney in case my family needed one dissipated with the voucher system.
State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, has introduced Senate Bill 1249 to establish a Living Donor Registry Education Program, which would build on the pilot program and make education available on the Department of Public Safety's website. Rep. Tom Oliverson. R-Cypress, filed the companion House Bill 2826. Hancock said he expects no opposition to the bill.
Hancock received a kidney last July from his son-in-law after being told seven years ago that his kidneys were failing. By the time of his transplant, Hancock's kidneys were down to about 10% function.
"It changed my life," he said of the transplant.
The need in Texas for kidneys far exceeds the available supply. At the beginning of April, 9,640 people were waiting for a kidney. Last year, 2,394 people in Texas received a kidney transplant.
"There are 28 million people in Texas. We could get everybody off the list," said Dr. Jacqueline Lappin, the former surgical director of the Kidney Transplant Center at St. David’s North Austin, citing the potential of the new online button to register people to become living kidney donors.
People wait an average of six years after they are listed for a kidney transplant, sometimes longer if they have a difficult blood type or unusual antibodies. The longer people wait for a kidney and are on dialysis, the less likely a candidate they are for a transplant, Lappin said, citing a decline in health.
In Texas last year, 650 kidney recipients had living donors.
Most transplanted kidneys last seven to 20 years. A living kidney donation lasts about twice as long as a donation from a deceased person because a deceased donor's kidney has been through a trauma. Kidneys from a living donor tend to work right away, Lappin said.
Inspired by that story, and to test whether the pilot program worked, I went online Sept. 19 and checked the box at donatelife.net that I was interested in being a living donor. On the online form, I had to choose between two centers in Austin: St. David's North Austin and Dell Seton. I chose Dell Seton because it was closer to my house, and I was familiar with the surgical team from past stories. The form told me that the transplant center would contact me. It did a month later.
Getting the email
On Oct. 19, I received a questionnaire email from the National Kidney Registry. I had to outline my medical history, my family's medical history and what medications I take.
More than 50% of potential kidney donors don't qualify, often due to medical history or because of the intense health screening process.
I thought my dad's kidney troubles due to diabetes might knock me out; or my preeclampsia while pregnant with my son, now 22; or my high blood pressure, controlled via medication since I was 27.
None disqualified me.
Then I received an email with lab orders on Oct. 26 to do preliminary testing and scheduled blood work and a urine sample.
I began to casually mention my desire to donate a kidney to my family, including my husband and both children.
No one thought this was a good idea.
"I don't like this at all," my dad said.
"No, you're not," my daughter told me.
My mom, calling it "noble" and knowing I would do whatever I wanted, said she was concerned for my health.
Once the process started, the National Kidney Registry connected me with a peer support specialist and an independent living donor advocate through the Living Bank. Their jobs are to answer my questions and verify that I was doing this for the right reasons, not being paid for my kidney or pressured into donating.
The next test
At this point, I was in touch with Katie Mooney, a registered nurse and the living transplant coordinator at the Abdominal Transplant Center at Dell Seton, a joint program of Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin at Dell Medical School.
I made sure she knew that I was the reporter at the Statesman who had been covering the new transplant program and that Dr. Nicole Turgeon, the transplant director, and the rest of the team knew my affiliation. If it was too weird for them, I'd back off. I assured them I wasn't in this for a story. I just wanted to help someone.
I passed the initial blood and urine tests.
The next step: wear a blood pressure monitor for 24 hours, strapped around my waist with a cuff attached to my left arm. Every 15 to 20 minutes the cuff would inflate and take a reading. Sleeping was difficult. The only time I could take it off was to shower.
My blood pressure was fine. Another test passed.
The big workup
At the Statesman, I run the Season for Caring nonprofit program to help local nonprofit organizations and families with basic needs. My Decembers are a marathon of stories and coordination. When Mooney called to schedule my daylong workup in December, I knew I needed to put it off until the beginning of January. Being an altruistic donor means you get to set the timetable.
On Jan. 3, I walked into the Abdominal Transplant Center to spend half a day with the staff before being sent to Dell Seton across 15th Street for scans. It was a long day. I arrived at 8 a.m. and left around 4 p.m.
Mooney took more blood: 15 vials of it, and more urine.
One by one, therapists and doctors came in to ask questions about my life and talk about the risks of donating.
"There is no benefit to the donor," they repeatedly reminded me.
While done laparoscopically, the surgery would leave me with three tiny incisions on my left side and a larger incision below my bellybutton. They could become infected. I could need a blood transfusion. I could throw a blood clot that could go to my heart, lungs or brain. The risk is death, like any surgery.

Plus, no lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds for six weeks to avoid a hernia.
I met with a dietitian who let me know I would need to watch my protein intake. Too much protein could damage my remaining kidney because the kidneys filter protein.
The pharmacist went over my medication and let me know that I would need to avoid taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil for the rest of my life to protect my one kidney and liver. I could not take new medications including supplements without consulting the team about any impact to my kidney.
I met Dr. Brian Lee, a nephrologist, who talked about my medical care postsurgery and the risk of developing higher blood pressure in my case.
My remaining kidney, though, would grow in size, and instead of doing 50% of the work with two healthy kidneys, it would do 80% of the work. I would never get back to 100%.
I met with a psychologist to discuss my reasons for giving. I told her that not only was I thinking about the person on the other end who would be healthier because of me, but I saw this as a celebration of my health. Seven years ago, I lost 50 pounds, started exercising, got my high cholesterol into a healthy range and worked on improving my blood pressure. I accomplished that.
Now, turning 50 this year, I thought of giving a kidney as my birthday present to myself.
The psychologist wanted to ensure that I would have support at home from my family during my recovery.
I also met with a financial counselor. All the surgery costs, the presurgery workups and postsurgery care are covered by the recipient's insurance. I've seen only one bill, for $167, accidentally. I was instructed to send that to the financial counselor to have it billed correctly.
The counselor also informed me of programs to help offset loss of wages. Because I have paid time off, I would not need that help.
My next step was to go to the lower level of Dell Seton to get a chest X-ray, a CT scan with contrast and an ultrasound of my heart.
As a health reporter, I do a lot of stories about people who go in for a simple X-ray for a broken bone and find out they have cancer. I was convinced the scans would reveal something bad. They did not.
So many bodily fluids
My next step was to spend 24 hours collecting my urine into a large canister that looked suspiciously like an orange juice jug. I then had to bring that jug to the transplant clinic immediately.
By this point, with my son home from college, I told him of my intention to give a kidney. "Your body, your choice," was his response. He's kind of a matter-of-fact kid.
When Mooney called me Jan. 13 to tell me that all of my tests looked good, I was in disbelief.
Finally on Feb. 7, the transplant team — the surgeons, nephrologists, psychologist, dietitian, pharmacist and transplant coordinator — met to discuss my medical records and candidacy to be a living donor.
When Mooney called me the next day to say I was approved, I grinned ear-to-ear.
I had a choice of when to be listed. But once listed, I needed to have at least a three-week window of availability for surgery. I decided to get listed immediately.
There was still more paperwork. I had to sign a form with the National Kidney Registry that I understood how the voucher program worked. I had to list my five people who I wanted to get a voucher. I chose both children, my husband and my two brothers.
My chosen family members also had to file paperwork that they wanted to be part of the voucher program.
By this point, I had begun telling my employers and a few friends that I was going to be donating a kidney. The reaction was usually, "That's so cool!" followed by, "Are you sure you want to do this?" followed by, "What does your family think?" followed by, "Who is it going to?"
Getting listed
I became listed for donation Feb. 21. Mooney expected my kidney would go fast because my blood type is O-positive. This is the hardest blood type to find a kidney for because even though O-positive people are universal donors, they can receive only O-positive blood and organs. In the U.S., of the 96,066 people waiting for a kidney, 52,376 are Type O. In Texas, 5,767 people are waiting for a Type O kidney of the 9,640 people on the list.

Locally, the "vast majority" of people waiting for a kidney transplant are Type O, Turgeon said, and they have the longest waiting time. "We need a lot of O's," she said.
Getting a kidney for people who are Type O who also have a lot of antibodies is "like a needle in a haystack to find," she said.
For me, this scarcity of Type O organs was another reason to give the kidney now, while I'm healthy. All my family members and my husband are O-positive.
Making a match
Mooney called me Feb. 27. We had a match. The only thing she could tell me was that the recipient was in Massachusetts and we had a surgery date of March 21. Did I want to go ahead with this match? It was my choice.
I felt an almost overwhelming connection to this person immediately. I imagined what they and their family felt when they got the call. I just remember beaming and clapping and feeling overwhelmingly happy.
A friend who donated a kidney in October on behalf of her husband who was O-positive, and started a chain by donating, told me, "Someone right now is praying for you" — praying that my kidney would arrive on the registry and be a match for them.
I got teary just thinking about her family's struggle to find a kidney and the struggle of the person I was matched with. Our identities will be kept anonymous until both of us sign letters that we would like to contact each other.
I was listed for only six days, which "was very quick," Turgeon said. "That's a function of being a blood type O."
Prepping for surgery
That same friend gave me some good advice: Start doing abdominal exercises right now. So every night I did at least 15 minutes of ab work, which I did not grow to love.
On March 7, the phlebotomist returned to my house to take more blood — 12 fat vials this time. Some of it went to the Massachusetts hospital where the recipient would have the transplant. The rest went to a lab in California.
Again I got a phone call from an independent living donor advocate through the Living Bank to make sure I wasn't being paid or coerced into giving a kidney.
On March 16, I spent 2½ hours with the team at the Abdominal Transplant Center. More blood had to be taken to make sure my levels, particularly my creatine level, which is about kidney function, qualified for donation. My level had been 0.8 the first time and 0.7 another time, but once it was 1.0, which is normal but not good enough for me to give a kidney. It needed to be below 1.0.
I was convinced I would be knocked off. Even though I knew I could decide not to give at any point, I already felt responsible to this person to give them the healthiest kidney and not dash their hopes.
My number was 0.8.
I again met with the dietitian, the psychologist, a nephrologist and Turgeon.
She described the surgery in even more depth to me. I would be on my right side with my left side up. My abdomen would be pumped up with gas to create space to operate. Then she and fellow surgeon Dr. Joel Adler would carefully cut away the connective tissue using scissors that cauterize. They would lift up my bowels to move them out of the way to access my left kidney.
They would clamp off the renal artery, the vein and the ureter in my left kidney, all using laparoscopic tools. Then they would cut between the clips to disconnect them. Once everything was disconnected, she would grab my kidney with her hand and pull it through a 3-inch vertical incision below my bellybutton.
They would then prepare my kidney on a back table and take measurements and pictures of it. It would be flushed with saline to remove any blood. Then it would go in a plastic bag filled with saline and secured with a twist tie. The bag would go into a plastic container and be put in a garbage bag filled with ice. Everything goes into an insulated cardboard box.
The whole procedure would take about 90 minutes.
Because I had watched previous transplants, I didn't have a lot of questions, but somehow having her describe it and knowing it would be me on the table this time made me a little queasy.
Again and again, I was told I could back out at any time and no one would judge me.
Getting ready
My only presurgery instructions were to get lots of rest over the weekend.
That Monday, I also met with fellow kidney donors at a Donate Life event. They gave me great advice about my recovery: Wear your baggiest sweatpants, an oversized shirt and slip-on shoes to the hospital because you won't be able to fit in or want anything tight on your body after the surgery.
That night, I slept very little. It's like when you have to go to the airport for an early flight. You worry you'll oversleep so you don't sleep.
The day arrives
On March 21, I arrived at Dell Seton for the surgery. I was tired and excited but not scared. Really, I just wanted to get through to surgery. Turgeon had warned me that right up until surgery something could happen on either the donor side or the recipient side that would postpone it or disqualify me.
Even going through the motions of getting into the gown, answering an anesthesiologist's questions and giving more blood, I still had an underlying disbelief that it would happen.
And yet, I found myself being rolled through the hallways with clapping people lining the sides. Everyone thanked me for this gift, told me how amazing I was. For me, it felt like the right thing to do, the thing I was meant to do.
I rang the bell, arrived in the operating room and slid onto the table. It was 6:46 a.m., the clock on the wall said. And then I was sedated.
My kidney's next life
While I was sleeping, my kidney was boxed up with labels on it that said, "Living Donor Organ for Transplant" and "Handle with Care." Inside that box, along with my kidney, was a vial of my blood that would go to the center to make sure the recipient and I were still compatible. A GPS tracker was inserted for both centers to know exactly where that organ was at all times.
More of my blood will be stored for 10 years in case there is ever a problem with the donor or the recipient. There will be a record of my health at the time of donation.
The box was placed in the backseat of an organ recovery transport team SUV and driven to Dallas, where it was put on an American Airlines flight to Boston. Some airlines put organs in the cockpit; others put them in the cargo hold. Organs are given priority, but they don't have a person accompanying them. Think of them as an unaccompanied minor.
My organ arrived in Boston at 8:30 p.m. A kidney can stay outside the body for up to 36 hours, but the sooner the better, ideally within 24 hours.
The recipient received my kidney that night.
Turgeon later learned that everything had gone as planned with the recipient.
The day after I donated my kidney, the federal government announced a plan to overhaul the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Some of the criticism is that the waiting list is too long and organs are having to travel too far, rather than staying close to the donor.
"We don't want to see the system dismantled," Turgeon said. "We want it improved."
She wants to see more funding to improve the technology and modernize the system. The goal is: "How can we get the kidney to the right patient all the time?"
For every possible transplant patient, she has to have the conversation about finding a living donor as their best bet for a kidney.
For people who give a kidney, the voucher system does elevate people on the list, and it makes sure that a donor's family members will be given priority in exchange for that donation.
Is all of this fair? I don't know, but I like to think my kidney went to the person in most need who matched me. It's also reassuring that my family will be prioritized because I gave this gift.
Recovering
When they woke me up and wheeled me to my room, I remember feeling as if I were on a roller coaster. I could hear my husband's voice asking the nurse something, but I was out of it. I just wanted to go back to sleep.
I didn't hurt, but I did have cramping from my side muscles where laparoscopic tools had been working. The nurse gave me a belly band — fabric that wrapped around my whole abdomen and held it in. That helped with the cramping. I wore it for about a week until my muscles improved. I was acutely aware that my abdominal muscles had taken a hit. I couldn't roll over or sit up, really.
Every six hours I got Tylenol, OxyContin if I needed it and Toradol.
That afternoon, the Abdominal Transplant Team came to visit. I was the 10th living donor for this program. They have done 12 transplants, and two pediatric transplants. They expect to be doing 75 transplants by year five, which is the same as what St. David's North Austin is doing.
The team at Dell Seton is also now approved to do pancreas transplants, which haven't been done in Austin. Liver transplants are expected to start in 2025 or 2026, which also will be a first for Austin.
To be able to go home, I had to eat something in the morning and get rid of the catheter. Then I had to show that I could urinate on my own, walk around safely and pass gas. If everything checked out, I could go home.
I passed those tests.
By 11:30 a.m. March 22, I was home.
Recovering at home
Here's what I discovered: I am a bad patient. I heard, "Take it easy," but I'm not good at that. I have followed the no-lifting rule, but it kills me every time I have to ask someone to carry this or hold that.
I started walking right away. That first day, I could barely make it to the mailbox halfway down the block and back. The next day, I made it to the end of the street. I added a quarter of a mile at a time until I had hit two miles twice a day. But I am tired all the time. Part of that is the surgery recovery and the anesthesia, but also my body is adjusting to one kidney. I need a daily nap.
At my two-week post-op visit, Turgeon declared that I was doing exceptionally well. My scars look amazing. My kidney is functioning well. We are watching my blood pressure because it has creeped up.
Not a day that goes by that I don't think of that person in Massachusetts who is living with my kidney. We are bonded forever. I wish them and their family only the best.
I have no regrets. Becoming a living donor has been such an honor.
How to become a living donor
You can contact a kidney transplant center directly at St. David's North Austin Medical Center or Dell Seton Medical Center, or you can go to donatelife.net.

Living Donation in the News / Advances and innovations in living donor liver transplant techniques & training

« Last post by Clark on April 20, 2023, 04:09:15 PM »

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ctr.14968?campaign=wolearlyview

Advances and innovations in living donor liver transplant techniques, matching and surgical training: Meeting report from the living donor liver transplant consensus conference

Mark Sturdevant, Swaytha Ganesh, et al.
Clinical Transplantation
First published: 11 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/ctr.14968

Abstract
The practice of LDLT currently delivers limited impact in western transplant centers. The American Society of Transplantation organized a virtual consensus conference in October 2021 to identify barriers and gaps to LDLT growth, and to provide evidence-based recommendations to foster safe expansion of LDLT in the United States. This article reports the findings and recommendations regarding innovations and advances in approaches to donor-recipient matching challenges, the technical aspects of the donor and recipient operations, and surgical training. Among these themes, the barriers deemed most influential/detrimental to LDLT expansion in the United States included:
prohibitive issues related to donor age, graft size, insufficient donor remnant, and ABO incompatibility; lack of acknowledgment and awareness of the excellent outcomes and benefits of LDLT; ambiguous messaging regarding LDLT to patients and hospital leadership; and a limited number of proficient LDLT surgeons across the United States. Donor-recipient mismatching may be circumvented by way of liver paired exchange. The creation of a national registry to generate granular data on donor-recipient matching will guide the practice of liver paired exchange. The surgical challenges to LDLT are addressed herein and focuses on the development of robust training pathways resulting in proficiency in donor and recipient surgery. Utilizing strong mentorship/collaboration programs with novel training practices under the auspices of established training and certification bodies will add to the breadth and depth of training.

Living Donation in the News / All living donor transplants will be done by robotic surgery in near future

« Last post by Clark on April 20, 2023, 02:27:22 PM »

https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/all-living-donor-liver-transplant-will-be-robotic-surgery-in-near-future-dr-arvinder-soin/99606995

All living donor transplants will be done by robotic surgery in near future: Dr Arvinder Soin

Several toxic medicines and alternative therapy products cause liver damage. During the COVID pandemic, we saw several cases of liver failure due to excessive consumption of giloy juice and capsules.

Living Donation in the News / Attitudes of patients with renal disease on xenotransplantation: Review

« Last post by Clark on April 16, 2023, 07:04:15 PM »

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/xen.12794?campaign=woletoc

Attitudes of patients with renal disease on xenotransplantation: A systematic review

Isabel DeLaura, et al.
Xenotransplantation
First published: 07 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/xen.12794

Abstract
Background
Recent years have seen major advancements in xenotransplantation: the first pig-to-human heart transplant, the development of a brain-dead recipient model for kidney xenotransplantation, and the registration of the first xenokidney clinical trial. The attitudes of patients with kidney disease or transplants on xenotransplantation and an assessment of their reservations and considerations regarding the technology are crucial to successful clinical translation and eventual widespread implementation.
Methods
This systematic review was registered through PROSPERO (CRD42022344581) prior to initiation of the study and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We included studies that evaluated attitudes towards and willingness to undergo xenotransplantation in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), including those who had already undergone transplantation. MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Elsevier), and Web of Science (via Clarivate) were searched from database inception to July 15, 2022 by an experienced medical librarian for studies on xenotransplantation and attitudes. Abstracts and full text were screened using Covidence software and data items regarding study methodology, patient demographics, and attitudes regarding xenotransplantation were extracted using Microsoft Excel. Risk of bias assessments were performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programmed and National Institute of Health study quality assessment tools.
Results
Of 1992 studies identified, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies were conducted across eight countries, four in the United States, for a total of 3114 patients on the kidney waitlist or with a kidney transplant. All patients were over 17 years old and 58% were male. Acceptance of a xenotransplant was assessed using surveys in 12 studies. Sixty-three percent (n = 1354) of kidney patients reported that they would accept a xenotransplant with function comparable to that of an allotransplant. Acceptance of xenografts with inferior function to allografts (15%) or as bridge organs (35%) to allotransplantation was lower. Specific concerns expressed by patients included graft function, infection, social stigma, and animal rights. Subgroup analyses showed higher acceptance in already transplanted compared to waitlist patients and white compared to Black Americans.
Conclusion
An understanding of patient attitudes and reservations is key to the successful execution of the first xenotransplantation clinical trials. This study compiles important factors to consider, such as patient concerns, attitudes regarding practical clinical scenarios for the use of xenotransplantation, and the impact of demographic factors on acceptance of this emerging technology.