Friends cut long waits for kidney transplant patients to months by donating organs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nine out of 10 adults with chronic kidney disease don’t know they have it. This is an important fact to know in March – National Kidney Month – and throughout the year.

By the time kidney disease is discovered, it is usually in advanced stages, which means that the patient may need dialysis few times a week.

According to kidney experts, the process of dialysis cleanses the blood because diseased organs cannot filter out toxins effectively.

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In severe cases, kidney transplant may be required, but that usually means years of waiting for a suitable organ donor, experts say.

“Toxins accumulate in your body and your coloration is not good. Your blood is not good. You don’t have energy,” Kathleen Gerlach of Greenlon, New York, told Fox News Digital.

Doctors told Kathleen Gerlach of New York when she was 18 that her kidneys had failed after a severe strep infection had damaged them and that she would need a kidney transplant.  At 20, Gerlach found a new life thanks to a transplant, but then another medical drama followed.

Doctors told Kathleen Gerlach of New York when she was 18 that her kidneys had failed after a severe strep infection had damaged them and that she would need a kidney transplant. At 20, Gerlach found a new life thanks to a transplant, but then another medical drama followed. (Getty images)

She has reason to know. Gerlach was 18 years old when doctors told her that her kidneys had failed after a severe strep infection had damaged them and that she needed a transplant.

She began dialysis treatment several times a week, hoping to find a suitable donor.

Gerlach said that go to class became a challenge for her. “It was very, very difficult,” she said.

“This transplant gave me the opportunity to graduate from college and become a high school art teacher.”

After a grueling year and a half of dialysis, a deceased organ donor from Chicago surfaced and turned out to be a match.

At the age of 20, Gerlach found a new life thanks to a transplant.

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“This transplant gave me the opportunity full college and become a high school art teacher,” she said.

“And I worked for 32 years.” She stressed how important it was that the donation helped her become a “viable member of society.”

Kathleen Gerlach of New York has been able to advance in life through the selfless donation of organs by other people.  She won swimming medals in her age category at US Transplant Games and World Transplant Games competitions.

Kathleen Gerlach of New York has been able to advance in life through the selfless donation of organs by other people. She won swimming medals in her age category at US Transplant Games and World Transplant Games competitions. (Kathleen Gerlach)

However, in 2005, at the age of 50, Gerlach said that the transplanted organ began to fail and she began to feel tired and swollen.

Doctors confirmed her fears that she would need dialysis treatment and wait for an organ donor.

She was told that the wait could drag on for six to eight years. She was afraid that she would not be able to work full time. high school art teacher in Long Island while she was waiting for a new kidney and received dialysis.

One of her colleagues volunteered to be a living kidney donor.

Then a selfless act changed her life. One of her colleagues volunteered to be a living kidney donor — and instead of a six-year wait, she received a new kidney within a year.

She was able to continue working as a teacher and retire at the age she chose.

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“When you have a healthy kidney [from] new transplant, all [things get] turned around. You can live a normal life,” she added.You are not tired. You have energy. You can do things.”

Born with kidney disease

John Primavera Long Island, New Yorkshared a similar story with Fox News Digital.

He was born with a kidney disease that prevented his kidneys from growing. 49 year old father and husband received his first kidney transplant at age 14, but the organ has recently begun to fail.

Primavera began dialysis and became weaker, forcing him to stop working as a physical therapist assistant at a subacute therapy rehabilitation center on Long Island.

He told Fox News Digital that he will likely have to wait seven years for a kidney and that the statistics are working against him.

John Primavera (wearing glasses) stands next to good friend and kidney donor Tom Kenny (sitting in a hospital bed) with their family members after a successful transplant operation at NYU Langone Health in New York.

John Primavera (wearing glasses) stands next to good friend and kidney donor Tom Kenny (sitting in a hospital bed) with their family members after a successful transplant operation at NYU Langone Health in New York. (Sue Kenny)

“The mortality rate on dialysis is unfortunately 50% within five years. So with a death rate of 50% within five years and a high number of patients waiting for transplants for seven years, many people don’t survive long enough to get a kidney transplant,” Nicole Ali, MD, told Fox News Digital. , director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at NYU Langone Health in New York.

She is also a Primavera Nephrologist.

She added, “That’s why at NYU we try to get transplant patients as quickly as possible by importing organs from other states so they have less waiting time.”

“We try to get transplant patients as quickly as possible.”

This waiting time is a nationwide problem, according to the National Kidney Foundation, which said 12 people die every day while waiting for a kidney.

The average waiting time for a kidney transplant can be three to five years, and up to 10 years in some parts of the country, a spokesman for the New York-based National Kidney Foundation told Fox News Digital.

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John Primavera’s best friend for nearly 40 years, Tom Kenny of Babylon, New York, told Fox News Digital that he heard about the waiting period and knew he needed to help his childhood friend. He decided to become a living kidney donor.

John Primavera, a kidney recipient, spoke to Fox News Digital about his good friend Tom Kenny's kidney donation. "The surgeons said there could be no better match.  It was such a good match, it was like we were brothers."

John Primavera, a kidney recipient, told Fox News Digital about his good friend Tom Kenny’s kidney donation: “The surgeons said it couldn’t be a better match. It was such a good match, like we were brothers.” (Sue Kenny)

The two discovered that not only did they share a strong bond of friendship, but they were perfect for each other.

“The surgeons said it couldn’t be a better match. They were such a good couple, it was like we were brothers,” Primavera told Fox News Digital from his hospital bed.

Two friends had surgery last week at NYU Langone Health in New York.

“Tom gave me a second chance at a new and improved life.”

Afterwards, Primavera told Fox News Digital: “We are both doing well and the new kidney is working great. Thanks to Tom’s most generous gift of his kidney, he gave me a second chance at a new and better life.”

He added: “Without this selfless act, I would have been waiting for a kidney for about seven years and I would have had to be on dialysis. With that kind of waiting time, I might not have lived to see the transplant.”

Kenny said he was not worried about the kidney donation affecting his own health.

“Above all, the medical staff prioritizes donor safety,” he told Fox News Digital. “More importantly, the need for living donors is extremely high. help a friend or loved one is special.”

In addition to saving lives, living organ donation also saves money. "It's amazing.  It's a gift of life" said Tom Kenny, who donated a kidney to his longtime friend John Primavera.  Both men are doing well after recent surgery.

In addition to saving lives, living organ donation also saves money. “It’s amazing. This is a gift of life,” said Tom Kenny, who donated a kidney to his longtime friend John Primavera. Both men are doing well after recent surgery. (iStock)

Costs and loss of wages due to the postoperative recovery period are barriers to living donor recruitment, kidney specialists told Fox News Digital.

To attract more living donors in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed the New York State Living Donor Support Act; this helps cover the costs incurred by the living donor.

In addition to saving lives, living organ donation also saves money.

Even though he donated a kidney, he was able to continue to lead a relatively normal life.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, each year Medicare spends about $96,000 for each dialysis patient and approximately $40,000 for a transplant patient.

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Kenny said that even though he donated a kidney, he could continue with her. relatively normal life.

“It’s amazing. This is the gift of life. Helping him in a way that improves his quality of life is satisfying. I’m not sure words can fully describe it,” he said.

What’s next?

What’s next for kidney transplant recipients who thought they’d spend years waiting for a kidney?

Kathleen Gerlach, 68, has competed and plans to continue competing in the US Transplant Games and the World Transplant Games.

The participants are transplant recipients who compete in Olympic-style games that include: among other sports and activitiesswimming, athletics, volleyball and even a corn hole.

Gerlach, the winner of several gold, silver and bronze medals, said there is a parade of living donors during these games, as well as the families of deceased donors; they all march into the stadium.

Fans and athletes give them a standing ovation, noting their huge sacrifices.

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Primavera said he will turn 50 this spring. He said he hoped people would hear about his story and consider becoming a living donor or donating their organs after death.

“I’m forever thanks to my childhood friend Tom for donating his kidney to me,” he said.

“I have a new chance at life – a life without dialysis. I can enjoy your trip again. I will be able to enjoy life to the fullest and see my daughter Soraya continue to grow up and achieve all of her goals.”

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According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are currently 90,000 adults in the US waiting for a kidney transplant, and only 25,000 of those patients will receive a kidney in 2022.