Monday, March 14, 2011

Kidney Transplants in the news

This experience, becoming aware of how many people require a new kidney, has been shocking and incredibly eye-opening.  There are about 110,000 people in the U.S. on the national waiting list for a kidney, and people die waiting every day.  To consider someday becoming a kidney donor, while you are living or after you've passed, a couple of great sites to research are http://www.matchingdonors.com and http://www.kidneyregistry.org. You can also contact your local hospital.

For more enlightening  reading, follow the links below.  There is a lot of press about kidney transplants, if one looks for it.  Everything from policy to human interest... 

Under New Law, Kidney Transplant Priorities Will Shift

Donating a kidney to mom part of a cross-country chain of events

WFU coach donates kidney to player

Jailed Sisters Are Released for Kidney Transplant

Additional news, Patrick and our mom, Betsy, are both doing well.  Mom feels much better than before she went into the hospital!  Both are recovering and continuing to follow doctors' orders.  Patrick just started a new part time job at Tripp's, our family's favorite neighborhood restaurant. He will be hosting lunch, three days a week.  A perfect fit for him to get back onto his feet!  Also, he was asked to give a group presentation about being a dialysis and kidney disease patient by a church, the Freedom Temple in Raleigh, this coming Saturday.  We expect this experience to be very empowering for him.  His numbers are looking good so far, and last week he met the transplant team for an informational session with optimism. There will be some more time until the operation can happen, and it's a time for making the most of it. 

No comments:

Post a Comment