PKD Life - Fall 2021 - 19

ROSALIE CORBETT
67, NEWARK, DELAWARE
Transplant history:
In January 2015, she received a living
donor kidney from a 70-person living
donor exchange. No native kidneys
were removed.
Advice:
Be ready for the
unexpected
NORMAN KUERNER
72, FARMINGVILLE, NEW YORK
Transplant history:
He received a transplant from his brother in
1993. Both native kidneys were removed. The
kidney was rejected in 2001, and he went back
on dialysis. Norman received another kidney
from his nephew in 2002.
Advice:
Advocate for
yourself
" The fi rst transplant center I went to was very
new to transplants, but it was in a convenient
location. I had around a dozen people willing
to donate to me, but the social worker at
this center didn't follow up with any of them.
She just said they couldn't be that interested
because they hadn't called her after applying.
This was after she told us all not to call. She
later said I wasn't a good candidate. I contacted
a doctor at another center who thought
I was, in fact, a very good candidate. He called
my brother, we matched, and I got my kidney.
It's really important to go to a hospital that is
very experienced in transplants. And if you
think something is wrong, speak up. "
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TRANSPLANTS, VISIT PKDCURE.ORG/TRANSPLANT
19
" Every patient reacts diff erently, and
not everyone has the same side eff ects.
I had signifi cant sleep disturbances
from the anti-rejection medications,
including frightening dreams, and it
wasn't something I was prepared for. It's
really important to have a healthcare
provider whom you can trust and who
will validate your experiences and help
you deal with these kinds of unexpected
side eff ects. "
Despite all the frustrations and complications,
in the end, most transplant
recipients agree with Rosalie Corbett
when she says, " If you asked me if I
would do it over again, I would answer,
'In a heartbeat.' Six weeks on dialysis for
me was six weeks too long. "
*
http://www.PKDCURE.ORG/TRANSPLANT
PKD Life - Fall 2021

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