What is the longest a recipient has survived with a kidney transplant?

[okarol]

Myra Sankey, 71, is believed to be the owner of Britain's oldest transplant kidney, having received it in July 1970, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of her kidney transplant. [Aug. 2010] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=20011.0

[okarol]

Bristol's first kidney transplant took place on October 31, 1968, with a kidney going to the then 25-year-old Anne Whiteman -- and it's still going strong 42 years later (from a deceased donor.) [Oct 2010] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=20720.0

[kidney1972]

Just found your site last night.....read with great interest about all the long term tx recipients (in posts and in links to articles) as I was transplanted in 1972 (from my dad) and it lasted for over 36 years.  I was on dialysis for 21 months before being retransplanted on July 30, 2010....I was one of five recipients in a domino surgery that was done in one day-in one hospital-in San Antonio, TX.  My nephew donated in my behalf and I received my kidney from a woman who was donating for her husband.  An altruistic donor was thrown into the mix, with the extra kidney going to someone on the wait list with a PRA of 98.  Amazing....five donor surgeries and five txs in about 12 hours.  We are all doing great....I have a creatinine of .69 which makes this the best kidney I ever had!  My main reason for writing is that I am vice president of a club for those of us who have had a tx lasting for 25 years or more....the Quarter Century Club.  We have over 70 members, one of whom has had his for 46 years . We have several members over 40 years with deceased donor txs.  All of us in the club have at some point in time thought that we were the longest or near the top in longevity.  It has amazed us to find so many others who have made it for so long.  Our common denominator is Imuran/Prednisone.  Very few have changed to the new meds other than those of us who were retransplanted.  Just thought all of you would enjoy hearing about not just one more long term tx survivor, but 70!!!!

[paris]

This in inspiring.  I need to read  every good story because there are lots of events I want to be at in the years to come!   Thanks for posting good news, Okarol.

[okarol]

Wow kidney1972 - I would love to get a list of the 70 members - it would be cool to add their stories here!

[Neo]

Awesome!!!!

[Brightsky69]

My 1st transplant lasted 17 years. I am hoping my 2nd once will last 40 or 50 years. 

[gregory]

I had a transplant for 22 years. My body built up antibodies, I was really surprised when it happened. I thought I would have it forever. They have new medications now that might have saved it.

[okarol]

Forty years ago, Jim Blanchard was given the gift of life by his brother [Nov 2010] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=20981.0

[okarol]

 
As a follow-up to a previous post, here is the link to the "Quarter Century Club" - Celebrating Organ Transplant Longevity
Organ Transplants with 25 Years or More Survival of the Transplanted Organ
http://www.qcclub.org/
 

[wj13us]

Wow kidney1972 - I would love to get a list of the 70 members - it would be cool to add their stories here!

I'm also a member of the Quarter Century Club.  38 years in April 2011. 

Funny but I know a few people who either posted here or have articles about them.


Bill

[okarol]

  Thanks for posting Bill - may you have many more kidneyversaries!

[tyefly]

Very Nice Bill......   thats a inspiration to us  who are looking forward to transplant..... and survival.

[okarol]

Back in 1959 two Oregon sisters made history with their transplant operation. Charlene Hamilton,  one of the longest living kidney recipients in history, passed away in December of 2010 of unrelated health issues. She got her transplant at 12 years old, thanks to her twin sister Charlotte Hamilton, now Charlotte Cottle. [Jan. 2010] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=21954.0

[willowtreewren]

Louis Mascaro of Perinton, NY celebrates 30 years since his son donated a kidney to him. http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=13031.0 [March 2009]

His niece called the school last week about enrolling her sons. She mentioned her uncle when I said that Carl had just gotten a transplant. Small world!

 

[okarol]

For all these 41 years since he received a kidney, Frank Germinaro has called the unknown donor his little angel.
Now he finally knows her name. [Apr 2011] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=22610.0

[okarol]

Edith Helm: Longest Surviving Transplant Patient Dies - Woman Was First To Give Birth After Surgery in 1956 - Kidney transplant from twin sister lasted 55 years! [Apr. 2011] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=22643.0

[okarol]

Our member wj13us celebrates 38 years! [Apr 2011] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=22681.0 

[PEGGY]

   first happy 38th...wow!
I am new to board. a little history: dialysis Sept 1991, transplant June 23, 1993 going on 18 years, never had a rejection episode (thank God).  I take 5mg prednisone, 75mg clyclosporine, 1 dble bactrim, 1 capitol once a day oh and vitamins.  creatine ranges .9 to 1.2.  Barnes Jewish hospital in St Louis, Mo.  is the greatest.  My donor was my daughter in law.  Illinois wouldn't transplant us because she was only a 2 out of 6 match but Barnes didn't hesitate. 

They treat donors like manna from God.  So many of my fellow dialysis buddies wouldn't dream of asking relatives to donate.  My daughter in law was in hospital for 3 days and called me (who had to stay for almost 10 days) on the 4th day and said she had just got back from riding a bike.  Barnes had treated them to a big dinner at the roof top restaurant and given them a basket of wine, cheese and fruit that was as big as a baby bassinet.

 I have monthly labs that they over see and have all these years including prescribing all my meds all this time.  I go see them once a year.

They are thinking that I might be able to come completely off the clyclosporine because it is toxic.
I drink the water, watch my weight (though  I am a little over weight), take my meds and at the onset of a cold I get a z-pack (like taking antibiotics for 30 days).

The only real info I can share is that at the beginning when I went to nephrologist my creatine was 3.1 and if it had stayed there I would not have gone on dialysis.  But suddenly it started to go up .4 of a point every month.  I started going to labs every week.  I noticed that during my monthly cycle my creatine rose .9 of a point and the following week it went down .5 but retained .4 and this continued until I was at 6.1 and put on dialysis.  I made a point to bring this to the attention of my then nephrologist at 4.4 but he decided there was nothing to it.  I even asked him to stop my monthly cycle but that was put down. 

Since then I have tried to get someone to look into this.  I know it wouldn't help the guys directly but it might help in the long run if women only had to stop their monthly cycle to save their kidneys it would mean more transplants for men.  But I haven't been able to get anyone to listen.  While doing the work up for my transplant they noticed a shadow close to my pancrease which was finally diagnosed as a cyst on ovaries ended up having a complete hysterectomy before transplant.  So no more monthly cycle and my transplanted kidney that that nephrologist in Illinois swore would reject within 30 days and thought would be such a waste of a kidney and actually tried to get my donor to donate to someone else is still kicking...and like I said never a rejection episode and very little medication...if you know someone who will listen and look at the possibilities let me know...i will gladly let them look at my records.

[HouseOfDialysis]

My mother had her cadaver kidney for 20 years before she developed an infection in her heart and they had to take her off the immunosuppressants.

[okarol]

Kidney transplant has lasted 40 years and going strong. Jack Young's kidneys began failing at age 17 in 1967, so his 25 year old sister donated her kidney in 1971. [May 2011] http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=23173.0

[okarol]

30 year transplant [June 2011] I received this note from a woman named Jeanine who I met from the NKF website. Here's her story:
I had my transplant in 1981 at Tuffs New England Medical Center in Boston when I was 19 years old.    For two weeks I felt like I had the flu and one of my eyes was really blurry.  I  went to the eye doctor and he said my blood pressure in my eyes were really high.  So I immediately saw my doctor and they said my kidneys were failing from the test they took.  I was immediately put on dialysis and had my transplant 4 months later. I did not have any rejections which at that time was really unheard of since my transplant was from a cadaver.   I have now had the kidney for 30 years.  My son who is 16 had to have a kidney transplant last year in January and he is doing fine.  He was on dialysis for 4 months as well.    His kidney was from a cadaver also.     He was diagnosed with FSGS kidney disease.  Although I didn’t have any test to tell me what kind of kidney disease I had they are pretty sure I had the same disease as my son.  My son had his transplant at Children’s hospital In Boston.
 
There is hope for everyone.  Always stay positive and keep the faith.
......................
  Best wishes for many more good years for Jeanine and her son! 

[galvo]

A good story!

[kittylee]

I received a donor (deceased) kidney 6 weeks ago and was feeling rather positive until the past week. A combination of having to travel 2 hours each way to the hospital and some side effects from the prednisolone. Any how after reading this thread I have bucked up and am feeling that Roger Bean (my new kidney) and I are in it for the long haul.  I am sure once I get back to my normal routine and return to work I will feel much better. Heres to 50 more years Rog!!

[Cordelia]

I met a woman a few weeks ago who told me she had her kidney (donated from her sister) for 26 years! That's impressive!