In 1996, at the age of 15, Kyle Lester McKinney was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy, also called Berger's disease. In February 2005, the disease took a turn for the worst and Kyle started dialysis. Fortunately, his mother was a match and donated one of her kidneys to Kyle in May 2005. Nearly seven years later, the donor kidney rejected, and at 31 years old Kyle once again found himself in stage five kidney failure and needs a second kidney transplant. Although originally from Hector, Arkansas, Kyle and his wife Paige reside in Dover, Arkansas with their two young daughters. He has been on dialysis since February 2012. In March 2013, he was placed on the deceased kidney transplant list; it could be 2 to 5 years before a kidney becomes available to him by these means. Further complicating the wait, is the high level of antigens found in Kyle's blood. These antigen levels show that only about 3% of cadaver kidneys will match well enough to carry out a second transplant. There is however another option for Kyle. This is to find a living kidney donor. For a healthy person, one kidney is enough to filter blood properly through the body. This leaves many with the option of donating a kidney to someone like Kyle. A kidney transplant for Kyle would mean not being tied down to dialysis and returning to a healthy, normal life. Kyle’s blood type is A+ which means he can accept a kidney from someone of blood types A and O. Having a large pool of living donors to test from raises his chances at finding a match. Research has shown that there's little long-term risk for kidney donation, provided you're carefully screened before becoming a donor. As a potential kidney donor, you'll receive a thorough medical exam to determine whether you're a good match for the potential recipient. And you'll be carefully checked to make sure you don't have any health problems that might be made worse by donating a kidney. To get medical updates and information about becoming a kidney donor continue to follow "FIND A KIDNEY FOR KYLE LESTER MCKINNEY" on Facebook.
