Edina Man In Need Of A Kidney; Could You Be A Match?
By Emilie Rumble
Born in June of 1980, Sam Stoner’s blood sugar has been taken at least four times a day since he was just a year old, and he has been on insulin since 1981. “My mother took great care of me as a kid,” said Stoner. Sam still works full-time, and the doctors are amazed that as of this time his physical condition is good, and how well the rest of his body is compared to his kidney function. Sam’s kidneys have been functioning at only 8% for the past four months.
Stoner says for him to lead a normal life he needs a deceased donor kidney and pancreas. The function of the pancreas is to release enzymes to help aid digestion and the hormones needed to regulate the blood sugar. The function of the kidneys is the filtering of waste and excess fluid from the blood which produces urine to remove toxins, as well as the balancing of electrolytes, water, and your pH levels. The kidneys also help regulate your blood pressure by controlling the fluid volume and blood vessel constriction, produce erythropoietin that stimulates red blood cell creation, and activates vitamin D to maintain strong bones.
Sam shared that it is, at the least, a 3-5 year wait for a deceased donor kidney. Yet, it is his hope that a deceased donor will be found for the dual kidney-pancreas transplant because it promises to be the best way for him to have a nearly normal life.
Stoner says his insurance covers the transplant procedures for both the donor and Stoner. The criteria for consideration for the dual organ transplant, is extensive.
Stoner recently reached out to the community on social media and now, with this story, is hoping to locate a living kidney donor in case a deceased donor is not found.
Tired of being poked multiple times a day for 44 years to check his blood sugar level, taking insulin injections and wearing an insulin pump, Sam has been working on finding a donor kidney for 3-4 months.
His vision is miraculously 20/20 with glasses. He was advised that he had to lose fifty pounds for the dual transplant to even be considered according to his body mass index. So far, in the last 4 months Stoner has lost 40 lbs., and he is still working on losing ten more lbs. to qualify for dual organ transplant. At the weight he is now, he qualifies for a live kidney donor transplant.
If Sam can get a kidney he wouldn’t have to go on dialysis. With the reduced function of his kidneys six months ago, he could have started receiving dialysis. With a new pancreas and kidney, he has been told he would not have to give himself insulin daily or wear his insulin pump.
He sees the endocrinologist once a year, and his other physicians regularly. Stoner plans to have the dual organ transplant at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
According to the Barnes Jewish Hospital organ transplant website there are several requirements that must be met for being a transplant donor:
Blood Type: Donors and recipients must have compatible blood types.
Tissue Type: A HLA (human leukocyte antigen) match is crucial for a successful long-term transplant, especially for organs like kidneys.
Organ Size: The organ must be a suitable size for the recipient’s body.
Height and Weight: These factors also help determine if the organ’s size is appropriate.
Immune System: A positive crossmatch indicates the recipient’s immune system will attack the new organ and is a contraindication for a transplant.
Medical Urgency: How sick the patient is and how quickly they need the transplant is a significant factor in allocation.
The living kidney donor experts at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center perform more living kidney donor surgeries than any other program in the Midwest region. Doctors at the Transplant Center helped pioneer living kidney donor transplants, giving them a depth of experience that leads to more successful short-and-long-term results.
At Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center, the kidney transplant specialists are uniquely skilled. The team performs more than 250 kidney transplants per year, which is the highest volume in the state of Missouri and one of the highest in the nation.
Benefits of Living Kidney Donation
Living donor transplants tend to happen sooner and with better results than deceased donor transplants, with minimal risks and drawbacks to the kidney donor. Living donor kidney benefits include:
Higher transplant success rates: Living donor transplants result in shorter hospital stays and fewer complications compared with transplants from deceased donors.
Shorter transplant process: Most people wait at least 3 years for a deceased kidney to become available. Patients who receive a living donor kidney can bypass the waiting list, shortening the transplant process considerably. The Transplant Center team pursues a variety of paths to donation, and we are one of the few centers to see a recent increase in living donor kidney transplants. Learn more about kidney donor matching.
Better organ function: Living donor kidneys last almost twice as long as kidney transplants from a deceased donor. On average, a kidney from a living donor will function for about 10 years longer than an organ from a deceased donor.
Very low risk to kidney donor: Every surgery has risks, but that risk is minimized with a comprehensive evaluation process and extensive experience performing kidney donor surgery.
Minimal life disruption for donor: Minimally invasive surgical techniques and improved recovery protocols and advances mean less pain and faster recovery for kidney donors. Most donors spend two days in the hospital after surgery and report feeling back to normal a few weeks later. The opportunity to choose a transplant date that works for the patient rather than waiting for a call that may come in the middle of the night.
Since Sam’s post on social media, calls are already coming in about being tested to see if they are a match for a live kidney donation for Sam.
If readers are interested in helping this young man with donation of a live donor kidney, please contact Wendy at 314-362- 5365 at Barnes Jewish Hospital at St. Louis. You just might be part of a match made in heaven for Sam.
