S.O.S A Kidney For My Daughter

[ulrika]

I was told yesterday that I will absolutely not be considered as a donor for my daughter. The reason is high blood pressure.
Her brother is not a blood match. When he inquired about trading with another family in the same situation, he was told that in our case that would not work as his sister is a type O.
I am devastated that I can't give my daughter a kidney.....I am also a type O.
The transplant coordinator told me that now is the time to do an aggressive search for a living donor, as there could be a waiting time of up to 10 years for a cadaveric kidney.
Does anyone here have any tips on the most effective ways to go about campaigning for a kidney?
Please, any suggestion will be appreciated.
Thanks, Ulrika

[hyperlite]

Does anyone here have any tips on the most effective ways to go about campaigning for a kidney?

Sorry, dont have an tips, but if you find a way to get a kidney, let me know. Wouldnt mind one myself... 

[susie q]

Yeah, me too.... I'm not good at this waiting thing... 

[ulrika]

There must be something we all can do together. Lets flood Oprah with mail. I know she is very compassionate, and if many of us ask her to have kidney patients on her show, she just may.
Are you interested in an Oprah appeal? Post here.

Hugs, Ulrika

[hyperlite]

haha I can just imagine what my friends would say if I went on Oprah to talk about kidneys, and organ donation...I would NEVER live that down

[Naggy6]

I would do an Oprah appeal, just the other day I was thinking about some thing like that only on the lines of Dr. Phil.

I can't have another transplant at this time but I hope to in the future.  I would so love to meet Dr. Phil.

I also heard of a web site once where they try to find you a match, I'm not positive but I think it was called kidneymatch.com.

I will look into it and see if I can find any thing about it. In the mean time I would tell as many people as I could. you never know what the word of mouth can do.

[kitkatz]

Kidneys are not cheap that is for sure.  When pro spots figures can buy one and get catapulted to the top of a tranplant list, then they can be bought and sold.  I don't recommend it, as it is illegal.
You could ask everyone you know to get type matched and see who is willing to donate to your daughter.  Good luck.

Katherine

[Rerun]

Is there anyway you could get your BP down to an acceptable level?

[Epoman]

There must be something we all can do together. Lets flood Oprah with mail. I know she is very compassionate, and if many of us ask her to have kidney patients on her show, she just may.
Are you interested in an Oprah appeal? Post here.

Hugs, Ulrika

If you do, don't forget to mention our site.  Oh man if Oprah announces our site on her show, I'm going to have to upgrade my hosting package 10X 

- Epoman

[kitkatz]

We'll have to pick you up off the floor from the dead faint you went in to. Breathe man Breathe!

Katherine

[ulrika]

Is there anyway you could get your BP down to an acceptable level?

My bp is under control with medication, and has been for several years. I tried to tell the transplant team that at least we know that we can control my bp. If we find another living donor they may not be so lucky. We never know what will happen in the future, and that person may end up with uncontrollable hypertension.

Ulrika

[susie q]

Oooohhh!!  Pick me! Pick me!!   I'll go on Oprah too..  I would love to meet her.. and she has been known to do wonderful things for people..   

[ulrika]

Oooohhh!!  Pick me! Pick me!!   I'll go on Oprah too..  I would love to meet her.. and she has been known to do wonderful things for people..   

We could ask her to charter a plane, and come and pick us all up
I do think she gets a lot of requests from many people, so I am trying to figure out the best way to approach her. I honestly think she would be very interested .
It would be great to have her visit dialysis centers, and people on home dialysis, so people realize what you people are going through. That dialysis, and everything else that goes with it, is not the picnic most people seem to think it is.

Hugs, Ulrika

[susie q]

She could probably do an appeal for organ donation... folks listen when Oprah says do something...
I wonder if you could email her from her website??  Might go check..   

[Rerun]

Let's use Kevno!  He won't dialyze again until we get on the show!!    

I'll go too.  Isn't her show in Chicago?

[ulrika]

Done. I have emailed the Oprah show, pleading for you all to get the opportunity to be heard.
Let's hope I'll will get a reply soon.
And Kevno, you better keep dialysing, because it could take some time for you to get on Oprah

Hugs, Ulrika

[Epoman]

Done. I have emailed the Oprah show, pleading for you all to get the opportunity to be heard.
Let's hope I'll will get a reply soon.
And Kevno, you better keep dialysing, because it could take some time for you to get on Oprah

Hugs, Ulrika

Uh oh I better upgrade my hosting plan 

[susie q]

Did you really??  Whoo hoo!!  wouldn't that be amazing if she did something?? omg... 

[ulrika]

I already got a notification that they have recieved my email. It was just a form letter, but at least we know that they got my request.

Ulrika

[kevno]

Thats right Rerun Pick on poor little me, who does nothing to nobody. I will get my own back for that

ulrike it sound great to try to get a big celebrity on your side, but it does not have to be only Oprah. These TV people have a lot of power. It can only be helpful for your daughter, plus other renal patients. If the general public knew what life was like on a machine, are with a PD tube in.

Good Luck ulrika

Kevno

[ulrika]

In my email to Oprah, I did suggest that she visits dialysis centers, and the homes of people on home dialysis. I hope she takes me up on that, for as much as we all like to hear about success stories, we need to be faced with reality.
I was like everyone else (ignorant) before me and my family were faced with this tragedy. It certainly has been a fast track learning experience.

Ulrika