March Patient of the Month: Paul Adkins

In 2001, after years of struggling for every breath, Paul received a lifesaving lung transplant. His doctor compared the transplant to a marriage, saying "when you find the perfect mate, it's for life." Paul's new lung has survived a heart attack, quadruple bypass, back surgery and pneumonia.

But now Paul's health is failing, and he was recently diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, an illness that causes scar tissue to build up in the kidneys. His immune system is heavily suppressed from his essential anti-rejection medications, eliminating dialysis as a treatment option. Doctors say a kidney transplant is critical for his survival.

Paul considers himself blessed to have two perfect marriages: Shirley, his wife of 45 years, and his lung transplant. His children and grandchildren want nothing more than to see him healthy again. The shortage of organ donors has created difficult odds for Paul to find a match, but his granddaughter, Sarah, is being evaluated to donate one of her kidneys for a paired kidney exchange program. She's not a compatible match for Paul, but she'll donate her kidney to another patient in exchange for someone else donating to save her grandfather's life. His family hopes this will give Paul a better chance of finding a donor match soon.

To read more about Paul, please visit his NFT web page.