CNN story from Redz812's linkNatalie Cole kidney came from deceased fanBy Alan DukeCNNLOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Natalie Cole's search for a new kidney ended this week when someone with a compatible organ died and their family asked that it be given to the singer, according to the organ procurement group that handled the donation.Cole, who underwent a successful kidney transplant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Tuesday, was "responding well and recuperating" Thursday, her publicist said.Cole had been on what she called "a very long list" of people waiting for an organ donation when she got word recently that OneLegacy, an organ procurement agency in Southern California, had a kidney that was a biological match.It was a "directed donation" from a deceased organ donor, according to OneLegacy CEO Tom Mone."Having heard of Ms. Cole's need for a kidney, the family asked that one of their loved one's kidneys be transplanted to Ms. Cole if they were a match," Mone said.Directed organ donations are rare, and rarer still are those directed to someone not related to or known personally by the deceased, he said.The donor will remain anonymous until the family gives permission for the name to be made public, he said.Cole's need for a kidney donation was highly publicized, including with an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" on March 31."I'm on a very long list, which is why we are looking to donors," said Cole, the daughter of legendary crooner Nat King Cole.Cole said her kidney troubles date to February 2008 when she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Cole said she attributes the Hepatitis C to her well-publicized struggles to stop using cocaine and heroin. Cole said she has been sober for some time now after two stints in a rehabilitation clinic.Cole said she underwent chemotherapy in an aggressive way to fight the virus. Within four months of getting chemotherapy, both of Cole's kidneys failed."I couldn't breathe. I -- I went into -- literally, my kidneys stopped functioning. They stopped, you know, processing the fluid that was starting to build up in my body."Since then Cole has been on dialysis three days a week and has been searching for a kidney, she told King in one of the first public interviews about the issue.Cole won six Grammys for her 1991 critically acclaimed album "Unforgettable: With Love," a jazzy tribute to her father. She won a Grammy this year for her new album "Still Unforgettable" and another Grammy for her work on another album.Cole was still able to tour this year even with her kidney ailment. She canceled a planned show last week in South Korea because of her illness, which meant she was in Los Angeles when the organ became available."I have been on dialysis in Istanbul, Milan, Indonesia, Manila, London. It's -- it's amazing," Cole said.During King's show, dozens of people sent e-mails to CNN telling Cole that they would get tested to see if their kidney could be donated.King handed a thick stack of paper to Cole."These are all e-mails from dozens -- dozens of people offering to be tested to see if they can match, who want to give you a kidney," King said.Cole stared at the papers for a moment."There are some great human beings out there. That's all I can say," Cole said.Cole is expected to return to the tour after three to four months of recovery.
I would like to think that her transplant was not in any way related to the fact that she's a celebrity and rich. However, my head tells me that's not the case. I don't know all the facts (and we probably never really will), but my gut feeling right now is that she "moved up" and got her transplant because of who she is. And, quite frankly, that thought makes me sick to my stomach.I'm afraid that cases like this will do more harm for kidney donations in the future than it does good. Many people don't want to be donors (even cadaveric ones) because of the misinformation about the process of donation. I'm afraid that now even more potential donors will think again about consent-to-donate because they think the system isn't "fair" (i.e., the rich and famous get them, the "average" man must wait his turn and hope it comes).Also, from what I saw in her Larry King Live interview, I don't want this woman to be a spokesman for people like my husband who are living on dialysis and waiting for a transplant. It's not some glorious "show" -- let's face it, dialysis is tough. For anyone to go on national tv and make out like it's nothing that big doesn't speak for my husband. She may have been on dialysis for not quite a year, but she certainly hasn't "walked a mile" in Marvin's shoes -- I don't care what she claims!So, I'm mad about it.I asked my husband Marvin for his thoughts. He's been on dialysis twice -- from March of 1995 until July of 2000 (living donor -- me) and then again from October of 2003 until the present. On May 28, 2009 (next Thursday), Marvin will have his 2,000th dialysis treatment. All total, his name has been on the UNOS list for almost 11 years. Here's what Marvin thinks about it:Marvin said, "It does seem rather 'suspicious' that she got a transplant so soon, and I'm thinking that it is because she's a celebrity. That disappoints me -- because if she got a transplant because of who she is and not because of the 'luck of the draw' that often times means some people don't have to wait as long, well that means I live in a society that places more value on her life than they do on mine. I'm not mad; a dialysis patient got a transplant. For that, I'm very glad for her. I'm glad that she doesn't have to do dialysis anymore. I'm glad that there's one more name OFF the list -- I just wish it had been mine or the name of someone who's struggled as long and as hard as I have. I wish this particular transplant could have come in time to save the life of someone who died waiting on the list. And, I wish that the thousand or so people who called and volunteered to be tested for her after she appeared on Larry King Live would agree to be tested for someone else who's waiting. If she really wants to help those of us who are 'like her' and on dialysis and waiting, she would use her celebrity status to encourage those who volunteered for testing for her to be tested for 1,000 of the rest of us. Now, that would be a terrific impact on the world of donation and transplantation! If she got her transplant because of who she is, that's not fair. And while Life itself is never fair, it's times like these that make the unfairness of it all pretty hard to swallow."
I Hate Dialysis Message Board
I Hate Dialysis Message Board
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