Cris' Kidney Transplant Journey

02/17/2023

Today we have officially hit the 3 month kidneyversary! I urge you to see if you can donate life. People die everyday waiting for a transplant. Can you ??

02/05/2023

Hey Friends! Meet Hanadi! A beautiful young teacher right here in Broward. Hanadi also has chronic kidney disease and her best bet is to find a living donor as soon as possible. Please see the information below on how to get tested to see if you're a match. Unable to get tested? Follow her page and share please!

01/07/2023

Please share this young man. Maybe someone here can help him to find a match.

This is my friend, George (Alex) Alexander Reed (dob 2/1/1990). He is seeking a Kidney Transplant.

Alex was originally diagnosed with Kidney Failure on June 2013 just a few weeks after graduating from Penn State, at the age of 22. He was then placed on on home hemo dialysis from December 1, 2013 until November 9, 2015. He received his first transplant 7 years ago on November 9, 2015 when he was 25. That Kidney is now failing.

Alex is a Blood Type A, which means he can receive, so for direct donation purposes, he can receive can a kidney from blood types A and O, however, his transplant center recognizes Paired Donation (donor swap), so anyone can donate on his behalf.

Alex is currently listed at UPMC Starzl Transplantation Institute, UPMC Transplant Services Montefiore, 7 South, 3459 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2536. Main phone number: 412-647-5800.

His Transplant Coordinator there is G. Seth Cress, Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator II, Kidney Transplant Waitlist Coordinator, c/o Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, UPMC Montefiore Hospital, LKB, Suite 300, 3459 Fifth Avenue,Pittsburgh, PA 15213,
Ph # 412-647-5558, Fax: 412-647-0362.
You can also sign up to donate online at livingdonorreg.upmc.com.
Please share this page for Alex, a Penn State Altoona grad & former Nittany Lions baseball player('13), who just wants to improve his quality of life by going back to enjoying friends, family, and sports (baseball). Due to the failure of his transplanted kidney, he has no energy, feels sick, and is missing out on all opportunities to socialize. He wants to travel and also contribute back through working at his family owned insurance agency.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088915542672&mibextid=ZbWKwL

11/21/2022

We are home! Cris is Transplant Tough! 1 year ago today we met with Cleveland Clinic Transplant Team to get Cris listed. In February of this year he was listed. Truly thankful for his living donor, Jodee who saved his life by donating her kidney. If you are able to be a living donor for someone please do so!

11/18/2022

Cris is doing well. In some pain and discomfort but the surgeons are very happy with progress. His creatinine is already going down and GFR going up. Kidney Function is doing wonderful. There is a good chance if this continues they will send him home tomorrow.

Please keep his donor Jodee in your prayers.

11/17/2022

For those who follow this page but not my personal fb...

Cris met his donor for the first time this morning. Jodee is currently in surgery and cris should go in around 3 pm. Please keep them both in your thoughts and prayers as well as the surgeons, nurses and entire medical team.

11/05/2022

4 days til pre-op
14 days til a new kidney

11/03/2022

Former New York Mets catcher, Ed Hearn, is seeking a 3rd kidney transplant, which must come from a living donor. Diagnosed at a young age with FSGS, the disease ended his career at age 31. Hearn, age 62 and a member of the 1986 World Series Championship Team, works now as a keynote inspirational speaker, author, and founder of “The Bottom of the Ninth- Where Character Counts” a not-for-profit organization. When he speaks about significant success and victory when facing today’s unending curves and change, he speaks from real life experience and leaves audiences remembering him not so much as an athlete, but more as a man who has had a lasting impact on their lives. We wish him success in his journey. 💚⚾️

10/26/2022

10/24/2022

My pregnancy was completely normal until my 38th week when my doctor found I had no amniotic fluid. They sent me straight to the hospital, and doctors could tell there was something wrong with the baby’s kidneys. Our son, William, was born the next day and was immediately whisked off to the NICU. Within a few hours, the nephrologist and the NICU physician came to my room and said, “We think your baby has a condition called ARPKD.”

We’d never heard of ARPKD, so they had to explain it to us. They said that they would do everything they could for William, and it was up to him how much fight he had in him. We brought him home after about a month, but his kidneys were so enlarged, that he struggled to eat and even breathe. So doctors took out one of his kidneys when he was 4 months old. Unfortunately, he came down with an infection four months after that, so his remaining kidney had to be removed as well.

We spent Christmas learning how to perform daily peritoneal dialysis. We all went through testing, and my husband, Matthew, was a nearly perfect match. After several screenings an imaging test showed that Matthew had extra arteries leading to his kidneys and William’s little body would be unable to handle them. We were heartbroken. William was put on the transplant list, and he received a kidney one week after his second birthday.

The kidney transplant made a huge difference for all of us. No more dialysis and he finally had an appetite. Doctors have assured us that if William needs another kidney when he’s older, Matt can be his donor. Today, William is an energetic 12-year old boy who’s into cars and trucks and roughhousing. He’s also an avid reader. William has to take a half-dozen pills every day, but that doesn’t stop him from hamming it up or singing at the top of his lungs when a song he loves comes on the radio.

❇️❇️❇️

Thank you, Carolyn , for sharing your ARPKD story and joining the fight to . https://connect.pkdcure.org/voices-of-pkd/

09/24/2022

CRIS HAS A KIDNEY MATCH!

To Jodee and the Curtis/Swett Family you are life saving heros! A living donor is a truly special gift of life!

It has been quite the journey and we plan to put everything down for you all to read when the emotions have slowed. We are beyond thankful for every single person who has gotten tested and/or spread the word. My hope/prayer is that for so many of you who expressed an interest in paired donation that you continue your journey to donating to someone. There are so many people suffering from end stage kidney failure and you can be there hero! Share your spare!

Please keep the Curtis/Swett Family, Cris and the transplant team in your prayers over the coming weeks.

Up next... surgery November 18th!

09/23/2022

Be Someones Hero. Cris' Kidney Transplant Journey
You will feel hugely rewarded when you give someone the gift of life!

09/17/2022

Researchers identify a gene therapy target for polycystic kidney disease
Blocking the inhibition of PKD1 and PKD2 gene expression by deleting a binding site for microRNAs hindered the formation and growth of kidney cysts in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) models, researchers reported. The findings suggest a strategy for gene therapy with the potential to arrest or cure ADPKD. Full story on our page.

09/13/2022

The milestone of the 1 millionth transplant in the US was met at the end of last week, since the first kidney transplant in 1954. 🤗
Nevertheless, with more patients seeking the procedure than ever before, the demand for organ donors has grown significantly.
As a result, organ transplant advocates have launched a new campaign for another million transplants to be performed in the coming years.
A record-breaking 41,356 transplants were performed in 2021, the Associated Press reported. Across the country, more than 400,000 people are living with functioning transplanted organs, United Network for Sharing Organs (UNOS) said on Friday. Medical advocates across the country are now pushing for 1m more transplants with increasing number of patients seeking the procedure. 💚

08/01/2022

We have been so fortunate to have so many amazing friends, family and even strangers get tested and we love and appreciate all of you. We know so many of you are in the paired donor pool now and are helping us to increase Cris chances for a match and help another family at the same time find their match.

We are still search for Cris perfect match. Please continue to share!

If you're thinking about kidney donation, want more information or want to see if you're a match go to:
https://ccflorida.donorscreen.org/register/now
Recipient: Cristopher Atkinson
DOB: 12/03/1980

07/27/2022

Update 7/26/22
First, we just want to Thank everyone who has gotten tested, told people about Cris' condition and even shared the posts. We have had an overwhelming number of friends, family and strangers get tested. While we don't have a match yet we know the right one will come.

Yesterday, we finally met with the neurologist since Cris is having so much trouble and pain while walking. The good news is that they do not believe he has neuropathy and he is coming off the gabapentin. However, they were pretty certain he has plantar fasciatis in both feet as well as spurs in both heels. Cleveland Clinic couldn't get us in to see a podiatrist until November... But, like anything I called Dr. Daniel Brandwein in Pompano and he saw Cris the same day. Coming soon, special splints to help with the pain, orthotic inserts and cortisone injections. If you ever need a podiatrist I would highly recommend him. We are slowly getting Cris back to where he can walk without the excruciating pain.

If you're thinking about kidney donation, want more information or want to see if you're a match go to:
https://ccflorida.donorscreen.org/register/now
Recipient: Cris Atkinson
DOB: 12/03/1980