Kidney Donations and Organ Transplants

Kidney Donations and Organ Transplants

Updated: Dec 11, 2007 03:52 PM

(Buffalo, NY, December 11, 2007) - - Each year more than 4-thousand Americans die waiting for a kidney transplant. But more and more people are donating kidneys ... even to people they don't know. Tonight Dr. Peter Ostrow has the story of a happy anniversary for a donor and recipient.

Diane Krzyzanowski is back at work as a nurse at Buffalo General Hospital. Last December, she was a patient there, receiving a kidney transplant. Now, she's just had her one-year checkup.

Diane Krzyzanowski, Kidney recipient: "I feel great, I have so much more energy. I feel like I was tired all the time before. I don't feel like I am tired all the time any more."

Diane's checkup included blood and urine tests, blood pressure check, and a thorough review of her extensive list of medications. All those medications are necessary, but they work!

Diane Krzyzanowski, Kidney recipient: "Just knowing that they're keeping everything kind of under control, keeping the blood pressure under control, which is vital to keeping this kidney. Whatever I need to take, I take it. It's not a problem."

Dr. Oleh Pankewycz, U.B. - Kaleida Health: "You got your life back and your going to live a normal and healthy life and it's all because someone came forward and donated a kidney to you."

That donor was a stranger. Diane first met Karyn at the airport, when she came from Minneapolis to give Diane a kidney. Now, they're close friends. Karyn returned for her own checkup, and she's doing well, too.

Karyn Anderson, Kidney donor: "I have no change in my diet, no change in anything medically. I just have a scar, that's it."

Dr. Oleh Pankewycz, U.B. - Kaleida Health: "Good kidney function, no hypertension and it's just the type of person we would expect to do well because of the type of person we accept into our donor pool. We are very careful in screening our donors."

Healthy people can be donors, and they ought to be.

Karyn Anderson, Kidney donor: "Go do it, go find someone to donate a kidney to. You don't need an extra kidney, you'll get a long just fine without it, and there's so many people that need it and you make such a difference in someone's life."

A kidney from a living donor will last about twice as long as a kidney from a deceased donor. You don't need to be related, all you need is a matching blood type. If you want more information about kidney donation, you can call Kaleida Transplant Services at (716) 859-1345.

Q: What about the long-term health of the donor? Do they have problems?

A: In order to be a donor, you have to be in excellent health, so donors tend to continue to be more healthy than the general population. Doctors follow them to make sure.

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