National Foundation for Transplants

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Patient's Mission: Recruit Marrow Donors

The following article is from the August 23, 2010 edition of People magazine.

Anh Reiss was headed to the gym in February 2009 when she got the call that changed her life. Test results held unimaginable news: She had a rare blood disorder and perhaps only six months to live. Her only hope, her doctor told her, was a bone marrow transplant that could restore her ravaged immune system. But Reiss learned to her dismay that she had a far slimmer chance than many Americans of finding a suitable donor.

Although there are more than 8 million potential donors on the national Be the Match Registry, Reiss' search yielded only 15,000 of Vietnamese descent--whose genetic makeup was most similar to her own--and none was a match. The mother of two despaired. "The thought of leaving my family was overwhelming," says Reiss, who is herself an ob-gyn. "I cried a lot."

But rather than give up, Reiss took action. She and husband Josh, 42, a lawyer, began crisscrossing the Midwest and showing up at Vietnamese festivals to break down cultural barriers against becoming a donor. Allaying fears, sharing her story and swabbing cheeks herself, she has helped add as many as 10,000 Vietnamese donors to the registry. "There's no telling how many lives she's saved," says Mary Halet, director of recruitment for Be the Match.

Reiss--who came to this country at age 7 as part of the wave of Vietnamese "boat people" in the 1970s--noticed she was feeling weak on a vacation last year. The lifelong runner was shocked to learn she had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a life-threatening disorder that usually strikes older people. "I've never smoked, I eat right. There's a 'Why me?' component in this." More grim news: None of her five siblings was a match; she'll need an unrelated donor.

Rather than dwelling on her bad luck, Reiss is thrilled she may have been able to help people like Matthew Nguyen, 28, a pharmacy student from San Francisco diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. On dialysis, he finally found a match in early 2009, shortly after one of Reiss' drives, and is in remission. "I owe Anh gratitude," he says, "that I can never repay."

Although Reiss has yet to find her own lifesaving match, she controls her condition through medication--she's back to practicing medicine full time and works out four days a week--and treasures every moment with Josh and children Alexandra, 19, and Aaron, 15. "No one is guaranteed more time, "she says. "Whatever time I have, I'm going to make the most of it."

By: Steve Helling in Houston and Jennifer Wren in New York.

NFT Patients Who Received Transplants in August

We are so happy for our patients who received lifesaving transplants last month! We wish them the very best in their recoveries.

Jacqueline Bright (kidney) at Duke University Medical Center

Nathan Chavis (liver) at Duke University Medical Center

Cheryl Easton (liver) at Methodist Hospital Dallas

Brian Flaitz (bone marrow) at Shands at the University of Florida

Jeannie Huffaker (bone marrow) at University of California San Francisco

Colon Jones (liver) at Duke University Medical Center

Charles Knapp (liver) at Methodist University Transplant Institute

Scott Machowski (lung) at University of Texas Medical Branch

Cody Sheets (lung) at Integris Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Willie Kemp on WREG's "Pass It On"

This week, Willie Kemp, whose mother needs a lifesaving kidney transplant, was featured on WREG's Pass It On segment. A dedicated University of Memphis supporter chose to track Willie down to let him know that Tiger nation is supporting him through this difficult time.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Memphis Area Yard Sale

Volunteers for NFT patient and liver transplant recipient Kelly Bradley are holding a yard sale in her honor. This event is a part of Bartlett’s citywide yard sale. If you would like to donate items for volunteers to sell at the yard sale, please contact info@transplants.org.

Yard Sale in Honor of Kelly Bradley

September 11, 2010

7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Singleton Community Center

7266 Third Road in Bartlett, TN

In 2008, Kelly was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver disease, after years of battling a platelet problem. Many days, this disease left her feeling exhausted, dizzy and disoriented, and it often caused bleeding from her nose and mouth.

Doctors told Kelly a liver transplant was her only hope for survival. Fortunately, she received her lifesaving transplant in January and is recovering well. She looks forward to the day when she can be independent and not have to worry about her health or finances. Despite her struggles, Kelly feels blessed and is thankful to be alive.

If you’d like to get involved with an NFT patient’s fundraising campaign, please e-mail info@transplants.org, and we will connect you with the appropriate fundraising consultant.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

NFT Hires Spanish-Speaking Fundraising Consultant

We're thrilled to announce a new addition to our NFT family! In January, Claire Prince joined our staff as a fundraising consultant. Claire works primarily with patients in the northeast region of the country. A professional fundraiser and active member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, Claire is also a licensed clinical social worker. She's a perfect fit to help patients during their transplant journey.

In the past several years, we've received many requests from Spanish-speaking patients, but we didn't have a staff member to communicate with them in their own language. We realized this need was great and began our search for a consultant with this specialized skill. Claire is fluent in the language and has extensive experience working with the Latino community in her previous jobs. She also served in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica for two years, immersing herself in the culture.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

August Patient of the Month: Cody Sheets

When he was just 2 years old, Cody was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a lung disease that affects about 30,000 people in the United States. Though he was able to live a relatively normal life and was only hospitalized once because of his illness, his health began to worsen in 2009. Last year Cody spent almost 3 months in and out of the hospital, including several stays in the ICU.

Doctors told Cody a double-lung transplant was critical to his survival. Thankfully, he received his lifesaving transplant August 4 and is doing well. We wish him the very best in his recovery!

A double-lung transplant costs approximately $650,000. And that's only the beginning. Cody faces significant medical expenses related to his transplant. For the rest of his life, he will need follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications. The cost of post-transplant medications can range from $2,000 to $5,000 per month--and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself.

Cody's hometown of Yukon, OK has dedicated Saturday, August 28 to Cody as they have multiple events planned throughout the city in his honor. Events include a car show, pancake breakfast, motorcycle run, golf tournament and run/walk.

If you live in the Oklahoma City area and would like to be involved at any of these events, e-mail us at info@transplants.org so we can connect you with the appropriate volunteer in Cody's campaign. If you would like to make a donation to NFT in honor of Cody, visit his web bio on the NFT site.