Month: April 2018

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Weekly Digest- Wanted: A Kidney for Nikki

It’s the middle of spring, I am 4 months out from surgery, and I really am looking forward to summer! The weather has been weird this year, hasn’t it? Hopefully, it’s on the upswing, right?

So far so good with my transplant. We are still changing medicines, but the kidney is working well. Hooray!

I still would love some stories for donors and families of kidney donors. But until then, I am going to try to highlight stories of other people looking for donors. I published these on Facebook, but I didn’t put them on my blog. So, I think I am going to publish the stories of the people that I share on Facebook on the blog as well. Some may get a solo post depending on how much information is provided on Facebook or if they or a family member sends it in. Just another chance for exposure…

–Joel

Joel is a single father of 2 beautiful kids (11-year-old son & 15-year-old daughter) who still works full time as a home health Physical Therapist (despite having ESRD (Endstage Renal/Kidney Failure) & being on Dialysis 3X a week for 12-15 hours per week). He’s been a physical therapist for 30 years now.

Hospital: Methodist Specialty Transplant Hospital, San Antonio, Texas. Visit his Facebook page for more information.  

 

Hahn

 

This is another person looking for a kidney donor.
Her name is Hanh Nguyen. She is 34 years old and mother to a 2-year-old boy. Her blood type is Type O. For more information, please send a

message through her Facebook page.

 

Please consider! My husband Marcus Lewis is 28-years-old with stage 5 end renal failure. He is on dialysis 3x a week and will remain until he finds a kidney. MarcusHe has been on be transplant list for 3 yrs. He was diagnosed with CKD November 7, 2013. Marcus has 2 children and 2 step children. He married in July 2017.

If you can find it in your heart to get tested, please call the number on the poster to Piedmont in Atlanta. 404-605-4792.

 

My name is Manjinder Singh and I was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2013.

ManjinderI am highly convinced that upon receiving a kidney I will have a completely different outlook on life, in fact I already do. A second chance at life will mean everything to me and my family. A chance to live out my dreams again, a chance to attend medical school and most important a chance to help others in need. My inspiration remains the same as before. I have always sought ways of helping those that are less fortunate. Community service is a huge concept in my religion and it is something that I value very much. If I am given a second chance at life, I will make sure it doesn’t go to waste, but rather I become an example of someone who did the right thing.

If after reading my brief story you feel like having yourself tested to be a potential donor, please contact the following transplant center and/or visit this link to fill out a kidney donor questionnaire using my DOB of 10/07/1988 and full name of Manjinder Singh. I thank you for reading about my struggle and possibly considering to be a donor.

California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC): 415-600-1700

Please share to help get the word out for these people.

Be Inspired—Give life!

Dominique

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Wanted: A Kidney for Manjinder Singh

Good morning!
This is a post of another person looking for a donor. Please share!
My name is Manjinder Singh and I was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2013. The exact disease that I have is known as IgA Nephropathy. I had always lived a simple and clean life, so to have heard from the doctor’s mouth that I have kidney disease was surprising to say the least. My initial response was that of disbelief and quite frankly I thought someone surely must have made a mistake in the diagnosis process. I thought to myself how could someone who has never drank alcohol, smoked, or done any other drugs be hit with kidney failure at age 23. Surely this was a bad dream and I would wake up from it.
Unfortunately this was reality and for the next several years I would live with the idea that I will one day end up on dialysis and need a transplant. That day arrived in June of 2016. I received a call from my nephrologist telling me that I need to go to ER right away. I was in end stage renal failure and would need dialysis to sustain my life. As one can imagine it was a traumatic moment in my life. Here I was sitting in a hospital waiting to be dialyzed for the very first time thinking in my mind that I was supposed to be the one taking care of patients not becoming a patient myself. You see, I had high aspirations of becoming a physician. I had finished my Bachelor’s degree, taken the necessary tests and obtained the proper experience to enable myself to apply for medical school.
Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be as my condition wouldn’t allow me to handle the ever so demanding coursework of medical school. Though this was a hard pill to swallow, I stayed positive and moved forward. Dialysis became part of my life, in fact it became the reason I have a life. I currently attend Hemo- dialysis three days a week for 3.5 hours each treatment. I have had significant changes to my life ever since I started dialysis. For example, I am always on a fluid restriction, which is absolutely horrible for someone who loved drinking water and juice. Besides controlling fluid intake, I have to always watch what I eat as well. Avoiding foods high in certain nutrients is key to sustaining longevity while on dialysis. Besides the drinking and eating component, your overall lifestyle changes as well. I haven’t been able to work out since starting dialysis, nor do I have the same energy level as before.
 
Being in kidney failure has not just impacted my life, but it has also drastically impacted the lives of my family members. They have struggled right along with me for that past several years now. My family has left no stone unturned in an effort to find a solution to my problem. My mother in particular has been an angel for me through this process. She takes care of me on a daily basis, and continues to believe that her son will be healthy and thriving very soon. My brother and sister-in-law have done everything possible to help get through this difficult period in my life. My father, who is an exceptionally hardworking individual, makes sure that I stay positive even when things get really difficult. I know my reality now more than ever before. I am in end stage renal failure and I have accepted that truth. My only solution to have a normal life again is to receive a kidney transplant.
I am highly convinced that upon receiving a kidney I will have a completely different outlook on life, in fact I already do. A second chance at life will mean everything to me and my family. A chance to live out my dreams again, a chance to attend medical school and most important a chance to help others in need. My inspiration remains the same as before. I have always sought ways of helping those that are less fortunate. Community service is a huge concept in my religion and it is something that I value very much. If I am given a second chance at life, I will make sure it doesn’t go to waste, but rather I become an example of someone who did the right thing.
 
If after reading my brief story you feel like having yourself tested to be a potential donor, please contact the following transplant center and/or visit the following link to fill out a kidney donor questionnaire using my DOB of 10/07/1988 and full name of Manjinder Singh. I thank you for reading about my struggle and possibly considering to be a donor.
My Transplant center participates in paired donor exchanges, so any blood type will work, however, blood types A+\- and O+\- are most likely to match.
California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC): 415-600-1700
Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for sharing my story.
Be Inspired-Give Life!
Nikki
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April is National Donate Life Month!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend (for those who celebrate it) or Passover (for those who celebrate that). We had a nice family dinner and relaxed the rest of the day. It’s a nice way to go into the weekend.

However, the new week begins, and it’s back to normal. But this week is the start of an important month…

National Donate Life Month (NDLM)!

During April, there are many local, regional, and national events that encourage Americans to sign up as organ donors and to celebrate previous organ donors.

Donate Life America has released some statistics about organ donation:

  • In 2016, there were more than 33,600 transplants (from 9,900 deceased and 5,900 living donors).
  • More than 116,000 men, women, and children are waiting for organ transplants.
  • About 58% of the patients waiting for transplants are minorities.
  • Another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.
  • 8,000 people die each year (22 people each day — almost one person each hour) because an organ is not donated in time.

Most people who are waiting for an organ transplant need kidneys (80%).

Donating doesn’t only mean organs — there’s also a need for donated tissue.

  • Each year, there are approximately 30,000 tissue donors and more than 1.75 million tissue transplants; the surgical need for donated tissue is steadily rising.
  • A single tissue donor can help more than 75 people.
  • 48,000 patients have their sight restored through corneal transplants each year. As a resident in ophthalmology, I have participated in this process both in the operating room and in the discussions with the family.

Not including living donors, more than 138 million people, approximately 56% of the U.S. adult population, have registered to be organ, eye and tissue donors.

To register as an organ donor, visit RegisterMe.org. To learn more about organ donation, visit Donate Life America.

I have gathered a few stories to start publicizing on the site but it’s not too late.if anyone else wants to tell their story – as a donor, family member of a deceased donor, or recipient. Please contact me if you want to write about your experience.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

For more about my journey after kidney transplantation, you can visit my blog Life: The Reboot .

Be Inspired – Give Life!

Dominique

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