How to find out if you're a match to become a living kidney donor

When Jason does find a donor, both he and his donor will receive their operations at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. Jason wants to express that he has the utmost confidence in the doctors at this hospital. He received his last transplant at UMC in Tucson, but made the decision to go through Mayo this time around for various reasons.

He would like to iterate to anyone who may be apprehensive about traveling to Phoenix for appointments, testing, and the surgery itself, that the time spent in the waiting room for him at UMC was equivalent to how long it would take to drive to Mayo.

Any potential donors will be reimbursed for any mileage accrued to and from appointments, and all costs related to the surgery itself will be covered by Jason's insurance (with the exception of meals).

The testing process can be kept anonymous, and Mayo does not inform him how far along anyone is in this testing process.

Below I have copied information that the Mayo Clinic Arizona provides about their Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program.

What is living kidney donation?
A friend or family member who generously volunteers to donate a kidney to a patient who is on the UNOS transplant list and who meets the following criteria:

• End-stage renal disease

What are the qualifications for being a living kidney donor?

• Donor age 18 or older
• Blood-type compatible (In Jason's case, this would be anyone with O-type blood)
• No major medical problems
• No active or chronic infections
• No active alcohol or drug use
• Acceptable BMI (Body Mass Index)
• Compatible donor anatomy

What you can expect:

• Donor safety (and the safety of all our patients) is our number one priority at Mayo Clinic
• Complete confidentiality
• Care and concern from the medical team and living donor advocate

The surgery and recovery:

• The kidney is removed using the laparoscopic approach, involving several small abdominal incisions
• Normal, minimal discomfort (managed with pain meds)
• Average hospitalization is 1-2 days
• One-to-two week stay in the Phoenix area after surgery for follow-up appointments
• Four weeks of low impact activity with estimated return to work in four to six weeks, depending on job requirements

Reliable websites for more information on donation:

• www.kidney.org
• www.transplantliving.org
• www.mayoclinic.org
• www.mayclinic.com
• www.livingdonors.com

If I want to be considered as a living kidney donor, what should I do now?

Contact the Living Kidney Donor Team at the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center to complete a preliminary health screening

via telephone: 480.342.1010

via email: SDLKidney@mayo.edu

Source: Mayo Clinic

Kidneys and Conversations

First, I want to welcome everyone who has found their way to this blog. As the title suggests, Jason went into kidney failure (again) in the spring of 2014, just two weeks after marrying the love of his life, Maribel, and becoming a stepfather to her three girls Kayla (15), Bianca (13), and Natalya (6). Before learning that he would be fighting for his life again, Jason and Maribel had dreams of having a child together.

When we met to discuss this page, I fell in love with their story. I think you will, too. This is why I felt that they needed an entire blog devoted to it, and not just a Facebook page with a basic description.

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Jason and Maribel met in 2012, while both were working at Liberty Mutual in Tucson. Their desks were next to each other, and Jason recalls overhearing Maribel talking about her father, who was (and still is) on dialysis. Thinking that he had the perfect reason to strike up a conversation with a beautiful woman, Jason approached Maribel. Eventually, he asked her out on their first date: Applebee's. On this date, they say that their, "first conversation was about kidneys." Jason told his story, and Maribel told about her father's struggle. Both Jason and Maribel knew almost immediately that they wanted to spend their lives together.

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That's it for today. Stay tuned for more of their story, as well as more details on Jason's condition, and for detailed information on everything you need to know about becoming a living donor. Thank you for your support!