donatelife
My blogs
| Location | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Neal was diagnosed with end stage renal disease at the age of 18. He was put on the transplant list and received a transplant after 3 years on peritoneal dialysis. He received a cadaver kidney that had been on ice for quite some time. The kidney did not begin working immediately. The doctor felt the life of the kidney would be 8-10 years. Neals' transplant rejected in late November of 2006 (a life just over 8 years). Since then he has been on hemodialysis 3 days a week for 4 hours each time. Due to Neal's young age, the doctor encouraged him to find a live donor. A live donor transplant can last almost twice the time of a cadaver transplant and could occur quickly, rather than waiting for the cadaver transplant. Unfortunately his immediate family members are not matches. Luckily a good friend was a match and began the testing process. Neal and Michele met Ryan in 1998. Vacations, birthdays, weddings and soon to be births have been shared between the couples. Many people spend their lives searching for friends like this. |