Kidney Patient Guide

Hi everybody.
My half brother, (same mother), has told me he needs a kidney transplant. He's 64 and I'm 53.
I've been very lucky and haven't ever had any serious illness. I play rugby and other sports still.
My wife and I are both keen on helping if we can by being a donor. She is also very healthy.
What should we be aware of?
Bye for now.
Pete

Pete...

Thank you so much from all of us here for considering giving your brother a kidney. I got a kidney from my son just ten months ago. My quality of live has been unbelievably well since the transplant. If your brother is in need of a transplant..then he is a mighty sick guy right now. It is so funny how you can get sick slowly and start thinking that is how you are supposed to feel. I know exactly how he feels right now.

Many of us on here don't have the advantage of having willing or able family members to give them a kidney. They wait on dialysis or have just given up hope for a kidney. The act of sharing your body with another is the most incredible gift a person could ever give.

You will go through some amount of post operation pain and soreness. Some minor pain medication and time will take care of all that.

All that said...this is still fairly major surgery. You are submiting to being under anestesia and will be going through the trauma of surgery. I don't know how many donors have suffered severly across the U.S....but at U.A.B. where our transplant was done...they have never lost a donor or recepient in over 4000 surgeries. It is 2004 and this has become a common surgery. They know how to do it and do it well.

Hopefully you or your wife will be able to help your brother. By the way....what got his kidneys? I hope that it is not hereditary and something that you may have to worry about in the future. That would be the only reason that I would opt out of giving up a kidney.

Best of luck to both of you and your brother...
Ronnie Magnolia Springs, AL

Hi Pete,

Please have a look at this Living Donors site: www.livingdonorsonline.org

It has up-to-date dependable information and some very useful tools - people on the discussion board there are very helpful for any question or issue you might have. It also has links to other sites which are also very informative on Living Donor information and issues.

All the best!

Dear Pete,
I agree with Ronnie-giving the gift of life is a precious thing! I have had my second kidney transplant for 27 yrs and it is still working great...my sister has had hers for 8 yrs and it is doing well also.
Both my sister's and my kidneys came from cadaver donors but before that, we both had transplants from members of our family-me from my older sister and she from my mother. They did not remain working for separate and various reasons, but we were very fortunate to have had our family care so much about us to give a part of their bodies so we could have a chance at a normal life. I think that giving your brother the gift of life is one of the most wonderful things you could do for him! He is extremely blessed to have you and your wife. Please let us know how everything turns out with your tests and results.
-Pam

Another useful site:

http://www.kidney.org.uk/living-donor/index.html

Remember no gaurantees even with organ donation but a very good long term rate for successes.