Vickie Stanford called me today. Her 15-year-old son Brennan needs a kidney, and there are no signs of match anywhere in sight.
The JFP featured Brennan as a Person of the Day in April. You can read the story here: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2012/apr/16/brennan-stanford/">POD: Brennan Stanford
Vickie said today that the Tulane University pediatric kidney transplant program shut down recently. Brennan, whose blood type is O positive, is now on the waiting lists for a kidney at University of Mississippi Medical Center, which just recently reopened its pediatric transplant unit, and at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans.
There is no nationwide, or even statewide, kidney donation program. Each hospital that does transplants has its own waiting list and its own donor supplies. Vickie said that UMMC told her that they may receive one kidney a year that is a match for Brennan, who can only accept a kidney from someone with Type O blood.
Vickie hopes to get Brennan on the list at the University of Alabama-Birmingham soon.
Brennan is currently in good health, and doctors have told Vickie that now is the best time to give him a transplant, if she can find a donor. He currently takes 9 hours of dialysis every night, and Vickie said he cannot do that forever.
Brennan, whose father donated a kidney to him before his second birthday, has no other family with his O positive blood type. If Brennan is going to receive the kidney he needs to survive, he will most likely need a volunteer donor.
Further information about donating a kidney can be found in the JFP's Person of the Day story on Brennan. Brennan's health insurance will pay for all medical expenses related to a donation.
For more information on donating or to find out if you are a match, please call Silvia at UMMC at 601-984-5065, or Becky Guillera at Ochsner Hospital at 504-842-3925.
https://jacksonfreepress.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2012/09/28/Screen_shot_2012-09-28_at_3.35.44_PM.png">15-year-old Brennan Stanford, a member of the Pearl High School band and tennis team, needs a kidney. He currently receives 9 hours of dialysis every night. by Jacob Fuller
Comments
joanlando 11 years, 6 months ago
Several kidney transplant programs now have protocols to successfully transplant people with different blood types. We had our transplant at Cedars-Sinai six years ago.
Here is the information: http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/...">http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/...
Dr. Jordan the director of the program is also a pediatric nephrologist. Call Cedars and ask for Kristen Cisneros the nurse coordinator of the incompatible program and she will explain the process. It is important to know all of the options.
joanlando 11 years, 6 months ago
Another young man who was able to accept a blood type incompatible kidney from his Dad who was type A , Nathan is type O. His story:
http://ABOKidneyTransplant.com">http://ABOKidneyTransplant.com