I would like a kidney.

[thomasroca]

I am a Vietnam Veteran. I need a kidney. Being on end stage kidney disease is not good. If you have A+ blood please help.

[MickeyDW]

I hope you find one, Thomas. I've had mine for 22 yrs.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

Hi Thomas! I had my transplant 18 years ago. My donor was a 16 year old that was killed in a car accident. In 1999, my wait for a cadaver kidney was only 14 months. I know now it is sooo much longer. I would make sure that everyone that you know, friends, all family members, work mates, facebook - make sure they all know of your chronic kidney disease & that you need a transplant. Did you see the story, it was even on TV maybe a month or so ago? A guy had a t-shirt printed with his blood type and his need for a kidney. He wore it to Disney and had a donor come forward. So, I guess you never know where one could come from! Best of luck in your search & you will be remembered in my prayers!

[cynlee01]

Thomas, I'm right there with you. I am a Vietnam era veteran, married to my husband for 52 yrs this April. Also looking for a kidney & going to Chapel Hill for testing in 2 weeks. There are sample letters on kidney.org which I re-worded & gave out to my fellow choir members. After testing I will see about a t-shirt. We can't give up!

Cynthia

[KelliC_NKF]

Hi Thomas, there are some tips for finding a living donor that may be helpful: kidney.org/transplantation/...

[PeterChao]

Hi Thomas,

First off, keep your hopes up! Definitely share your story on social media, you never know who might see your story. There are certain states that have shorter wait times, you should look into that as well.

txmultilisting.com/wait.htm...

Good luck!

[Lindatmm in reply to PeterChao]

I don't understand the statement that some states have shorter wait times? I thought the national kidney transplant list was suppose to give everyone the same wait time, no matter where they are. Also how smart is it to sign up at a lot of different transplant locations, does that mean you will need to do all your follow-up treatment after transplant at the transplant location? So if you sign up somewhere out of state you will need to travel to that location a couple of times a week for the first month or so. Do I have this right? Or am I missing something?

[PeterChao in reply to Lindatmm]

The wait times at certain transplant hospitals are longer than others. That’s what I was told. For example at UCLA my wait would have been 7-10 years, but if I were able to move north near UC Davis, my wait time would have been shorter, 3-5 years. If your insurance allows it, being part of multiple transplant hospitals could get you a kidney sooner. Yes, you would need to be treated post transplant at that hospital. Then you would transfer back to your primary nephrologist. Hope that helps.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador in reply to Lindatmm]

Peter is right. I was living in WI and was listed at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee and also at U of WI Transplant Clinic in Madison. I received the call from U of WI for my transplant and did need to travel there for follow-ups. I think sometimes the difference is the number of transplants a center does. UW does many more kidney transplants than Froedtert

[Lindatmm]

Sorry I’m still learning how this site works, thank you both for your replies. I have just seen these!! And I’ve been on the site muiltiple times since i posted. Thank you again for your insites, they have answered my questions