Thirteen Individuals Get New Hope in Massive Organ-Swap Operation
Williams, and 13 other patients, were involved in the swap, whereby one incompatible donor/recipient pair was matched with another pair in the same situation.
Text Size:
December 15, 2009
Roxanne Boyd Williams was in trouble earlier this year when the kidney transplant she had received in 2005 failed and she had to be put back on dialysis. Because of a particular behavior of her immune system, the donor pool was extremely small, but a recent innovative idea involving a large-scale organ-swap has given her another chance to get healthy and thrive again.
Williams, and 13 other patients, were involved in the swap, whereby one incompatible donor/recipient pair was matched with another pair in the same situation, so that the donor of the first kidney gives to the recipient of the second, and vice versa, giving more people the chance to obtain a new transplant, according to CNN.
The 30-year-old mother of two received the organ from Tom Otten, a police officer from suburban St. Louis, who donated a kidney in exchange for his wife receiving one in return.
Although the experience was difficult for everyone involved, Otten said as a result "a whole new doorway of hope opened," quoted by MSNBC.com.
Around 16,000 kidney transplants are conducted in the U.S. each year. While survival depends on a variety of factors and varies from one individual to another, an optimistic outlook and physical fitness can significantly improve quality of life.
Survivors and their families as well as those who are facing the prospect of surgery may visit the United Network for Organ Sharing where interested individuals may also make a donation.
Roxanne Boyd Williams was in trouble earlier this year when the kidney transplant she had received in 2005 failed and she had to be put back on dialysis. Because of a particular behavior of her immune system, the donor pool was extremely small, but a recent innovative idea involving a large-scale organ-swap has given her another chance to get healthy and thrive again.
Williams, and 13 other patients, were involved in the swap, whereby one incompatible donor/recipient pair was matched with another pair in the same situation, so that the donor of the first kidney gives to the recipient of the second, and vice versa, giving more people the chance to obtain a new transplant, according to CNN.
The 30-year-old mother of two received the organ from Tom Otten, a police officer from suburban St. Louis, who donated a kidney in exchange for his wife receiving one in return.
Although the experience was difficult for everyone involved, Otten said as a result "a whole new doorway of hope opened," quoted by MSNBC.com.
Around 16,000 kidney transplants are conducted in the U.S. each year. While survival depends on a variety of factors and varies from one individual to another, an optimistic outlook and physical fitness can significantly improve quality of life.
Survivors and their families as well as those who are facing the prospect of surgery may visit the United Network for Organ Sharing where interested individuals may also make a donation.
