Finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy. Just ask the 120,000+ people on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. Dan was accepted to the deceased donor wait list in October 2016 at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Additionally, in January 2017 he was accepted to the deceased donor list at Florida Hospital in Orlando as a way to be on two different regional wait lists for a kidney from a deceased donor. Time is not on our side. The average wait time in either program is five years or more for a kidney from a deceased donor, which frankly, isn’t feasible. That is why we’re asking for your continued assistance in helping us get the word out in our pursuit of the other option: receiving a kidney from a living donor. A kidney from a living donor greatly improves Dan’s chances of getting a transplant. A living kidney donation typically lasts twice as long as a kidney from a deceased donor and has better function.
RESOURCES
National Kidney Foundation (NKF) People can also learn more about living donation from NKF
Living Kidney Donor Network (LKDN) Another excellent source of information about living donation.
Brigham & Women's Hospital (Boston) Living Kidney Donor Center - Guide to Living Kidney Donation
Also learn about the BWH Kidney Transplant Living Donor Center, its services the donor evaluation process and their caring, comprehensive approach.
Rock1Kidney.Org - Real life donor stories from people who have donated a kidney, and ways they are now enjoying life while rocking one kidney.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you know someone who would might consider being a kidney donor, we would be happy to tell them more about Dan’s situation. Email us at: Info@AKidneyForDan.com or call us at (508) 419-0811
For more information about becoming a living kidney donor for Dan Desmarais, please directly contact the
Living Donor Coordinator at Brigham & Womens Hospital in Boston. BWHKidneyDonorInfo@Partners.Org
However, we know living donation may not be right for everyone — but you can still help! Consider giving the gift of life by being an organ donor after death. You can do this making that choice during your Driver’s License renewal or better yet registering with your state’s donor registry through this national government web site which is integrated with the state registry databases.
National Organ Donor Registry