Dialysis Patients Now Eligible For Kidney TransplantsPOSTED: 8:53 am EDT March 10, 2008
All the pieces of 27-year-old Lakeisha Hall's life are finally coming together. At 15, she was told she was losing her kidneys.
"It started out as a kidney infection, which then turned into a disease," said Lakeisha.
After that, her teen years were spent on dialysis.
"At first it was hard," she said. "I didn't like it. I hated going on dialysis."
But it's a disease her entire family is fighting for her. Her sister, brother and mother have all offered to donate their kidney to give Lakeisha a chance at the life she dreams of living.
"That is the hardest part. Just seeing her over and over again," said Juanita, Lakeisha's mother. "Never giving up. Never."
Lakeisha, like many people waiting for kidney transplant, has high levels of anti-donor antibodies. That is caused by too many transfusions.
"These antibodies they develop will cause rejection of the organs almost immediately," said Dr. Stanley Jordan.
But intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, or IVIG, is giving patients new hope. IVIG is able to block these antibodies and to allow people to get a transplant when the antibodies are low. During two, four hour dialysis treatments, patients are given blood containing a mix of immunoglobulins, which block harmful antibodies from injuring a donated kidney
IVIG allowed Lakeisha to go ahead with her kidney transplant and now, she's making plans for the future.
"I want to go on vacation," she said. "I want to go on vacation with no dialysis."
Lakeisha recently finished her treatment and was able to return home to Louisiana. She says she's doing well and will even be back to work later this month.
http://www.wftv.com/health/15551695/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=health
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