Parishioner In Need of Kidney

September 15, 2022

Dear Friends,

We have a member in our community in need of a kidney. Carolina and her husband married at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in October 2018. She is 29 years old this month and is facing difficult life changes that no one her age should go through. Her only option for treatment is dialysis or a transplant. Her blood type is A positive and can match with another A positive or O recipient. She has a rare disease called Complement 3 Glomerulopathy (C3G) that caused her kidney disease and loss of kidney function. Her spouse and her are ready to embark a journey and create a family, and the only thing stopping her from being able to give the gift of life is a healthy kidney. After a year from receiving the transplant, given all things are well with health – she will be able to have a safe pregnancy. She knows the lord has a plan and is ready to accept another opportunity to have a second chance in life.

The reality of getting a donor kidney is not that easy. About 100,000 people like her are waiting for a deceased donor. The average wait time in the United States is 3 plus years. Some people will wait for years, and many die while waiting.

Time is not on our side, but we have another option – receiving a living donor. Please consider being a live donor or share with a friend, neighbor or colleague you think may be interested.

Here are a few facts of being a living donor:

· People only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.
· Most donor surgery is done through laparoscopically, meaning through tiny incisions
· The recuperation period is fairly quick, about 2 weeks
· The person needing a transplant, their insurance will cover the cost of a donor’s evaluation and surgery
· The potential donor will have a separate team of healthcare professionals who handle their physical and emotional evaluation all candidates must have.

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a living donor, please contact Carolina Gomes at Carolina_gms@yahoo.com. Her current transplant center is Inova, and they will be happy to discuss in more detail about the benefits of being a donor and helping save a life.

For more information on being a live donor please visit: https://www.kidney.org/transplantation.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

God Bless.