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March 7, 2013
Dear Friends,
I am writing about a very urgent matter.
Harvey Paretzky, a dear friend and member of our community, is suffering from kidney failure and desperately needs a kidney transplant as soon as possible.
He cannot survive long-term without a transplant. Saving a person’s life is a great mitzvah. By donating a kidney, you can literally save Harvey’s life.
Harvey is working with Renewal, a Jewish non-profit organization, which facilitates and supports all aspects of the kidney transplants process. Below is a fact sheet from Renewal detailing the donor process and explaining why the health risks for the donor are minimal. If you have type O blood, and meet certain other specific criteria, you will be a potential donor.
For additional information, contact Renewal at:
R612@renewal.org
(718) 431-9831, ext. 311 (patient reference #R612)
This letter was sent with Harvey’s approval.
Rabbi Yaakov Luban
Renewal Fact Sheet
WHO CAN BE A DONOR?
Donors need to be between the ages of 18 and early 70’s and can include family and friends or even an altruistic donor. An ideal donor should have compatible blood type with the recipient.
Typically, someone who has cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, liver disease, sickle cell disease, HIV or hepatitis C will not qualify to be a donor, but are not automatically ruled out.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH BEING A DONOR?
The risks of donation are similar to those involved with any major surgery, such as bleeding and infection. Current research indicates that kidney donation does not change life expectancy or increase a person’s risks of developing kidney disease or other health problems.
HOW IS IT DETERMINED IF A PROSPECTIVE DONOR’S KIDNEY IS A GOOD MATCH?
Matching donor kidney to recipients is based entirely upon blood group compatibility and antigen matching, not upon age, race or gender. In addition to tissue matching donor to the recipient, blood types must also be compatible. The most common blood type is O, which is present in fifty percent of the population. Even if the donor isn’t a match directly to the recipient, it can still benefit the recipient through a swap. More on swaps later.
Tissue matching and more advanced Luminex testing between the donor and the recipient is done by the hospital to determine compatibility between a donor and recipient. These tests of compatibility are also performed to identify the presence of any antibodies that would cause rejection from that specific donor. All this is accomplished by blood tests.
HOW IS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY PERFORMED?
During the surgery, a few very small incisions are made in the abdomen to insert laparoscopic instruments. The laparoscope contains a miniature camera that helps guide the surgical team. Once the kidney dissection is complete, a 3‑4 inch incision is made to allow for the removal of the kidney. These incisions are usually closed using stitches that absorb on their own so they do not need to be removed.
For precautionary reasons, the donor usually spends 1‑2 days in the hospital following surgery.
WHAT AFFECTS WILL SURGERY HAVE ON DONOR?
You may feel tired for the first week or two after the surgery and are encouraged to rest and limit your activities during this period. You should not lift anything that weighs more that 20 lbs for the first four-six weeks. You may also have some swelling around the incision area and should plan to wear loose, comfortable clothes. You are encouraged to be active and walking is considered excellent exercise during this period. A leave from work is recommended for approximately two weeks following surgery.
WHAT KIND OF FOLLOW-UP IS NEEDED?
You will have a post‑operative appointment with your surgeon 1‑2 weeks after the surgery. Additional follow‑up appointments will be scheduled 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after your donation. Annual check ups will suffice thereafter.
WHO PAYS FOR THE MEDICAL COSTS?
All expenses of testing required for the living donor evaluation as well as the hospitalization costs and physician services provided during the donation process are covered either by recipient’s insurance or Medicare.
WHAT ABOUT MY OTHER EXPENSES THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE?
All non‑medical expenses such as lost wages, travel/transportation costs and transplant related expenses that are incurred during the donation process will be reimbursed by Renewal.
IF I WISH TO BE A KIDNEY DONOR, HOW DO I PROCEED?
A prospective donor should contact Renewal who, in turn, will put him/her in touch with the transplant coordinator to begin the process.
Once it has been determined that the potential donor and recipient are compatible, additional testing is done on the donor in order to safeguard the donor's health and to ensure that the donor has adequate kidney function. The donor evaluation is usually done at the recipients transplant center, though at times can be done at a hospital close to the donor. Most testing can he arranged around work and school schedules. Usually the hospital will do all testing and appointments for one day.
In general, the donor evaluation period takes approximately 4‑6 weeks to complete.
IS A DONOR MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP KIDNEY DISEASE OR MEDICAL PROBLEMS LATER IN LIFE?
The answer is no. Donors are not more likely to experience kidney disease or medical problems than the general population.
THE EFFECTS ON LIFE SPAN OF DONORS
Potential kidney donors do not need to worry about the long‑term effects such a donation might have on their health and longevity.
A recent report published in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzed the outcome for nearly 3,700 donors who were studied for as long as 40 years. This first long‑term study of kidney donors has found that people who give kidneys to others not only have a normal life span, they also have fewer kidney problems than the general population.
"We're hoping that these results will make the decision to donate easier for people and alleviate anxiety about living with one kidney," the authors say.
A great video with detailed information on kidney donation can be seen on Renewal’s website.
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