My friend Stephanie Blumenthal needs a kidney within the year. (BTW no one needs two.) I know we’d like to save the world. Let’s start with Stephanie.
Stephanie has polycystic kidney disease (PKD), an incurable disease that ultimately leads to complete kidney failure. Her life is now dependent upon finding someone who is willing to donate a kidney. PKD is a genetic disease, which means her two children are unable to donate. While she is on a waiting list, most people do not survive the 7+ years it can take to reach the top of the list.
Her blood type is A- which allows her to receive kidneys from A and O blood types. However, if a willing donor is not a match, she can still receive a kidney through paired donation, a two-way “swap” between two incompatible couples. For information on paired donation click here.
Q: Am I too old to donate?
A: Some donors have been as old as 80. Each center is different, but all of the centers agree that the determining factor is the health of the donor.
Q: Don’t we need both our kidneys?
A: One can live a fully-functioning, healthy life with just one kidney.
Stephanie has picked the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell as her transplant center. If you are interested in determining whether you would be a match, click here to register.
The registration process asks a few questions that you will need the following information to answer:
- Stephanie’s Birthdate: 9/28/1951
- Stephanie’s Full Name: Stephanie Blumenthal
If you have any questions, email her family at: findstefakidney@gmail.com
Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits and the book and documentary,
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.
His latest film is Vigilante: Georgia's Vote Suppression Hitman
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