Kidney swap program saved East Texan's life

[okarol]

Kidney swap program saved East Texan's life
Posted: Aug 28, 2009 10:14 PM PDT Updated: Aug 28, 2009 10:15 PM PDT

By Sara Story - email

TYLER, TX (KLTV) - 11 years ago, Melissa Hurst discovered a strange rash on her body.

"They didn't know what it was from, so finally they did a biopsy and sent the biopsy off and the doctor came back and said my kidneys were failing," said Melissa.

So, Melissa's mom, Pat Alexander, decided to donate her kidney to her daughter. But, Pat's kidney wasn't a suitable match for Melissa.

"It's a hard feeling," said Pat. "You just want to help your kids and want the best for them."

Melissa was put on a transplant list and there she stayed for almost four years. Transplant surgeons say it's hard to find a matching donor for patients with rare conditions like Melissa.

"The problem is that we have too many people who need kidneys and not enough kidneys to go around," said Dr. Steven Potter, East Texas Medical Center Director of Transplant Surgeries.

But, Melissa and Pat weren't ready to give up. After looking at different options, she read an article about a kidney swap program called the Alliance for Paired Donation.

"Peace came over me and I felt like this was going to be right for us," said Pat. "There was hope."

Since Pat was willing to donate her kidney, the person receiving it had to find a friend or family member donate one in return. After only a few months, Melissa and pat found a match.

"She (Pat) was tested against my donor's husband and she was a match for my donor's husband," said Melissa.

Dr. Potter says there are no hospitals in East Texas that participate in the kidney swapping program, but for patients like Melissa who are willing to go anywhere, it is another chance at life.

"[It was] very life altering," said Melissa. "Definitely. It was a great experience."

Click here to learn more about the kidney swap program. http://www.paireddonation.org/?gclid=CMqqxP-ix5wCFdFL5QodYyk_Hw

http://www.ktre.com/global/story.asp?s=11012372

[tyefly]

   Kidney swapping ......  I thought this was a practice that all transplant programs were involved in...but now that I have finished by transplant evaluation here at OHSU in Oregon  I have found out that they do not do any swapping.... they have talked about it  ( they said ) but for now there are not participating in that program.....  I am wondering now  what I should do... I do have live donors and I know that their blood types are the same as mine but I do not know about the other matching criteria yet... I guess I thought that even if we don't match completely than  I could do a little swap  and I would get a kidney....  well I am not sure of that now......

[okarol]

You can see if the National Kidney Registry can help you. http://www.kidneyregistry.org