My uncle is blood type O and needs a kidney

[Farmer-Rick]

Just remember folks, you have 2 kidneys and can live a long perfectly healthy life with just one.

I am not a match otherwise I would have given him one years ago. He's been on the transplant list for over 3 years and hasn't even had one kidney offerred to him. There are people on that list who have actually turned down kidneys because they were not a good match. But my uncle has never even gotten that close. The only way he is ever going to get a kidney is if someone donates a living kidney.

It's because of his age ...he's almst 65...and his blood type...O...that is keeping him from getting a deceased donor kidney. There is a back log nationwide of blood type O transplant patients because it is the universal donor. Everyone can accept O blood type, so an O kidney usually goes to someone else.

But longevity runs in his family so a donation would give a good long life. Here's the website all about him if you would like to know more. Spread the site far and wide if you can. https://www.helpaharbin.com

[angstlessk]

1. A K&R

Good luck to your uncle...your family must be very close....I hope he gets his kidney..

I'm old...not a good choice.

[Farmer-Rick]

2. Thanks

Yeah, passing the screening can be really tough.

[donkeypoofed]

3. Why don't you go thru a Kidney Exchange Program?

That's where you two would be matched with another pair who also cannot give to their loved one, but someone else is a match and so it's a 4-way operation exchange. It's worth looking into.

[GeorgeGist]

4. +1

[Farmer-Rick]

7. I don't see how that would work for an O blood type

If you needed a kidney and have a partner who is willing to give up an O kidney, why not just accept that O kidney yourself? No matter what blood type you are, you can accept an O. An O can be accepted by anyone. A donor who is an O will not need to partner up.

It sounds good but really doesn't work for O blood types.

[lunamagica]

5. K&R for visibility.

[No Vested Interest]

6. I just read an article today re transplanted kidney from Hepatitis donor.

(Can't recall if it's hepatitis C or A - I think it's C).

It seems that there is now a drug - a very expensive drug- that cures this type of hepatitis, and if patient is willing to accept a kidney that would otherwise be discarded, the infected kidney can be used, then the hepatitis cured by the drug.

The patient was in Phoenix AZ, and was doing well, and so relieved not to have to wait years. He got a kidney within 2 weeks after agreeing to accept the kidney infected with hepatitis.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. Was it a deceased donor?

He has signed up for all possible donations from the deceased donors list but there always seems to be someone else there with a higher priority than him. There was an O kidney from a poor soul who died of a drug overdose, from our local area...it was an O. It was offered to 3 people (2 people's doctors rejected it because it was such a high risk kidney) he wasn't even offered it.

Yeah, I know people who have gotten kidneys in months from the deceased donors list. He's just not a high priority, except to us. And I can understand why they would put a 20 year old ahead of him. It's just that there aren't enough for everyone. Thousands die every year waiting for a kidney.

[No Vested Interest]

9. I don't recall reading either way, though I'm inclined to think is was from a deceased donor.

You can likely Google the article.
I believe it was from USA Today, in that section of my local paper, in today's edition - 9/22.