In need of a kidney donor...?

Question

My sister is very ill & she's in desperate need of a kidney donor. She developed juvenile diabetes & has led a very sick life. She attends dialysis 3x a week. Aside from that she is always in the hospital because her pancreas & kidney have failed. She has 2 seizures this month from her diabetes, its getting harder & harder to control her blood. She suffers fr diabiliting migraines due to her organs failing which also puts her in the ER. Can someone please tell me how to increase her chance of finding a donor? She lives in NY, I went to get tested to see if I would be compatible but the 1st question I was asked is Are both your parents Diabetic I said yes. They quickly ruled me out and said I was not able to. I don't know where else to turn, I have even written Oprah to see if she would help but havent heard back. Is there another state that would consider me, please someone help us, time is running out for her. I am so scared to lose my sister.

Joe Y, please email me: [e-mail]...
She is on a list in NY, no luck yet. I will have to ask her about the National list. I live in FL & she in NY, she's coming to visit & we are going to try to get her on a list here & also see if the state of FL be willing to consider me as a donor for her cause NY wouldn't. The statistics: Over 95000 U.S. patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant; nearly 4000 new patients are added to the waiting list each month.
Every day, 17 people die while waiting for a transplant.
Because of the lack of available donors in this country, 3916 kidney patients died in 2006 while waiting for life-saving organ transplants.
Waiting list candidates 97201 as of today 1:57am
Transplants January - May 2007 11749 as of 08/24/2007
Donors January - May 2007 5872 as of 08/24/2007
Shell be trained for home dialysis soon but its scary cause many times she has wound up in ER immediately after, imagine if she were home alone and noone to take her to ER :(

Answer 1

I'm sorry to hear about your sister's condition.
You were absolutely correct in thinking living donor was the best way to get a new kidney. I'm sorry you weren't a match.

How about extended family members, and good friends? Non-related people do match -- at least to the extent required for organ compatibility.

Oprah probably has a quota of one transplant story every couple of years. The audience is just too broad. But you may be able to get a smaller, more directed audience.

If you sister lives upstate, contact the local newspaper -- not the NYT, but the community paper -- and share her story. It will increase the awareness of the need for organ donors in your neighborhood. And who knows, it might prompt a family to think about donation for the first time.

Good luck.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

This may be an elementary question, but is she already in the care of an excellent transplant team, and listed as a waiting recipient?

As the acuity of her condition increases, her odds of receiving an organ will increase.

Is she in the care of an EXCELLENT endocrinologist for the diabetes? Poorly-controlled diabetes can be an obstacle to transplant, so achieving the tightest control of the diabetes possible will hugely impact both her health and her odds.

I'd recommend a trip to a university-based endo who specializes in diabetes management as the first step, if that step has not already been taken.

In the meantime, it might be worth exploring, with her renal docs, whether she would be a good candidate for peritoneal dialysis. It can be done at home, and daily--and really improve quality of life while waiting. (Wastes are removed more frequently ---> feeling much better on an ongoing basis.)

Answer 4

If someone in your family or circle of friends (or even some of these folks on Yahoo Answers) is willing to donate, but is not a perfect match, you should look into the Paired Exchange program.

In a paired donor exchange, also known as a kidney swap, two kidney recipients essentially "swap" willing donors. While medically eligible to donate, each donor has an incompatible blood type or antigens to his or her intended recipient. By agreeing to exchange recipients—giving the kidney to an unknown, but compatible individual—the donors can provide two patients with healthy kidneys where previously no transplant would have been possible.

Answer 5

I wish I could help the world. I will pray for your sister.Always stay positive, I donated a kidney then needed a transplant[cadaver]had hemo dialysis, and PD which I did better on. I had 2 calls for a new kidney, but both times the other person was worse off than me. My 3rd call give me my gift of life.Prayers are answered, Good luck!

Answer 6

I'm a kidney donor, I'm 28 years old, 3+, do not drink do not smoke.
Write on e-mail
[e-mail]

Answer 7

I couldn't just sit around and do nothing like my doctors suggested.

They didn't want me to do anything or to take herbs or herbal remedies, but I had to try something - they just wanted me to do dialysis!

This program allowed me to take control of my health. I went from Stage 4 to Stage 3 kidney disease.

It was easy to do and my BUN, creatinine and anemia are all in better ranges.

Reversing Your Kidney Disease?

Answer 8

Heal Kidney Disease Forever :
http://www.NaturallyGo.com/Help

Answer 9

2

Answer 10

The hospital should have her on the cadaver list. You should be able to talk to her doctor and get information on cadaver lists--or social services at the hospital that she frequents.
Best of luck to you and to her.