How I got my kidney transplant - against all odds

After being put on kidney dialysis, a virtual death sentence, I discovered that there was a therapy to make me compatible with a donor who had been turned down by my old transplant center because I had donor specific antibodies against her. The new protocol allowed the kidney transplant to go forward. The kidney transplant saved my life since the average life span on kidney dialysis is 2 to 5 years before the kidney dialysis process allows toxins to build up in your liver, cause blood clots to form and lead to stroke, heart attack and liver failure. It is universally accepted that kidney transplant is the best treatment, for kidney failure usually getting you back to health and a normal life off kidney dialysis. My living donor, my mother, made the kidney transplant a possibility, and the Cedars-Sinai IVIG Protocol made it a reality. This is what happened to me and could possibly happen to you if you have anyone who has offered you a kidney for a kidney transplant even if the person is ABO incompatible, different blood type, or not a match, (positive crossmatch) or you are highly sensitized, (high PRA levels). Before the kidney transplant, you are given IVIG or plasmapheresis plus IVIG and your antibodies and your bad reaction to your donor is changed and the kidney transplant can go forward.

"These protocols at Cedars-Sinai allow you to get a kidney transplant and get you off kidney dialysis. Cedars-Sinai IVIG protocol is successful about 95% of the time in making you a match to any living donor no matter blood type (ABO incompatible) or tissue match, (positive crossmatch). In the past these living donors of precious, life saving kidneys have been rejected leaving you languishing on kidney dialysis. One third of donors are turned down for kidney transplant because they have a positive crossmatch to the recipient. Two thirds are turned down because they have a different blood type, (ABO incompatible). These barriers no longer matter with the Cedars-Sinai IVIG Protocol.

Find out more at our site: http://sevenluckystars.com/

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Kidney
• transplant
• dialysis
• PRA
• ABO
• incompatible
• desensitization
• IVIG
• plasmapheresis
• living
• donor
• renal
• failure