My cousin Freddy Chancellor is in his early 40’s and is an amazing sound engineer. He worked the sound boards for the Major League Baseball All Star game this year, so you know he’s got talent. But he’s also got a big problem: he needs a new kidney.
Freddy inherited a genetic disposition for a specific type of kidney disease. The first time his kidneys failed, he got a transplant from his father. That was nearly 17 years ago. That kidney began failing last year, and he’s been relying on dialysis to do the job instead.
I’m not clear on the technical details so I may not explain this next part right, but my understanding is that his body is now sensitive to the family’s genes and so no one in the family can be a donor because there’s too much risk of rejecting the new kidney. A non-family member had offered to be a donor but the doctors finally ruled her out as well. Apparently it’s going to be very difficult to find a match that will work. Needless to say, it’s very disappointing and discouraging for the family.
Freddy’s best chance is to have as many potential donors get tested as possible. He’s looking for a needle in a haystack, and we need a bigger donor pool.
Freddy’s insurance would cover all medical costs, and I’ve been told the surgery is noninvasive. If you have blood type A or O and you think you’d be willing to donate, there’s a toll-free number you can call for a test kit: 1-888-822-7892. If you don’t fit that profile, please pass this information to others you know. A donor is out there somewhere. We just need to find him.
