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| courtesy of bejim at freedigitalphotos.net |
More than 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease, but this number, like all statistics, tells only part of the story, and as important as data is, I think it also serves to remove us from the personal stories and the heartache this silent disease brings. Read more about this at
LiveKidneyDonation.org
We have to remember that each one of these numbers represents a human being-a father unable to care for his family, a mother who has died way too young, often leaving children behind and in one case, a 24 yr old son who, without warning was admitted to the hospital as shocked doctors worked to save his life. There are so many examples to see that perhaps you may already know somebody going through End Stage Renal Disease.
I work as a medical lab technician at a nearby hospital. Every day I notice there may be a couple of patients on just one floor who has a dialysis machine. It seems like this almost every week in just one town. This type of patient is very difficult to draw blood from. Sometimes it may take more than one stick to get a routine lab test done. I always call in critical values to the nurses who care for dialysis patients. Yes I see the pain they are in already and wonder why are there are so many people of various ages with kidney failure? High blood pressure and diabetes can lead on to the road of chronic kidney disease. I'd recommend learning more about the links of kidney failure here at
http://www.kidneyfailureweb.com/kidney-failure-diet/167.html .
The history of Live kidney donation started in 1954 when Ronald Herrick donated his kidney to his identical brother. The procedure was a wonderful success and his brother lived for another eight years after receiving the donation. Live kidney donation is now a commonplace occurrence with thousands of individuals donating their organs every year. Thankfully, most medical insurance companies now carry policies that cover kidney transplants for their patients. If not, Medicare will pick up the tab. Over the years kidney transplants have dramatically changed. What was once thought to only be possible between blood relatives has now been expanded to complete stranger donations. Medical science has discovered that it is no longer necessary to have an exact match in order for a kidney to be accepted into the patient’s body. Additionally, new types of surgery have dramatically changed the process through which a kidney is transplanted or extracted. This in turn has resulted in an easier method for curing kidney failure. Although there are many different perspectives on the ethics surrounding altruistic kidney donations the facts remain the same: that there are thousands of individuals in kidney failure who desperately need a new organ. Science cannot continue to stand in the way of live organ donation simply because of ethics that may or may not be applicable. Regardless of the opinions of the scientific community, new research has suggested that bone marrow implantation into a patient’s body from the potential organ donor may help the patient’s body accept the new organ and might possibly change its immune system. This new research is exciting but has yet to be accepted and approved of by the medical community and the FDA. As we move forward with advancements in new technology and advancements in the medical community, it is important to remember that ethics play a role in the process. However, it is equally important to realize that lives are on the line and that no one should stand in the way of progress. I wonder how quickly this issue would move forward if a few members of Congress had family members with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)?
Please view this video if you or someone you know has ESRD.
