By: Riley Tucker My name is Riley Tucker and I am sixteen years old. When I was seven years old I had been diagnosed with strep throat for nine consecutive months. By this time the doctors were starting to think there had to be some underlying cause. My family was recommended to go to Arkansas Children’s […]
Teen Panel – Transplant Patient Summit
We created a “teen panel” at the 2017 Transplant Patient Summit. Find out what it is like to be a teenager and manage an organ transplant. These teens discuss medication routines, friendships, and challenges.
Power Player – Amanda
By: Amanda Washek My name is Amanda and I am alive because of organ donation. At age 23, I was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a disease that causes scarring and blockage of the liver’s bile ducts. I went from a seemingly healthy, newlywed, young woman to needing a liver transplant […]
Power Player – Edward
Right before Edward’s 21st birthday, he was not celebrating. Instead, he was finding out that he had end-stage renal disease during a routine checkup. He would later find out that he needed a kidney transplant to survive. Edward had been excelling in school and sports, and now, everything was changing. Initially, his reaction was, “Why […]
Power Player – Jen
By: Jen White Hi – I’m Jen – @mytransplantlife on Instagram. My Instagram page is educational in nature, as I’m a Registered Nurse with a graduate degree, having worked as a nurse educator, combining my health knowledge with my own kidney disease experience. I was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease in my early 20s, as […]
Power Player – Maria
By: Maria Margarita Gamboa I am the only child of a single mother. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela (October 12, 1971). I believe in God, love, friendship and good faith. I am in love with LIFE, my family, and friends, ballet, photography, organ donation, music, sailing, and nature. I am crazy about HOPE: […]
Power Player – Larysa
By Larysa Sholom My name is Larysa and I was born in a small town in Eastern Europe. Nine years ago, I graduated from college and was spending my last carefree summer far from home, in hot San Antonio, Texas. Things were normal, nothing you wouldn’t expect in the life of a 21-year-old girl. Until that […]
American Society of Transplantation Announces the First Organ Transplant Research Call-to-Action in the US
Mount Laurel, NJ – October 23, 2017 – Today, the American Society of Transplantation (AST) launches a new fundraising initiative called Power2Save to address the critical need for funding transplant research and to increase public awareness for organ donation. Approximately 50 percent of all transplanted organs will experience failure within five to ten years, typically due […]
Power Player – Talitha
By Talitha Juristo On March 4, 2016, after some routine lab work, I got a call from my doctor to go straight to the ER because my hemoglobin was dangerously low and my creatinine was high. Once at the hospital, they quickly realized I was in end-stage renal failure. 30 years of being a Type […]
Power Player – Tawny
By Tawny Blum As a kid, I was very active – shocking I know! I played basketball and softball all the time, that was until the summer before my senior year of high school (1996). I started having GI issues but at that age, who wants to talk about having diarrhea! Eventually, I was diagnosed […]
Power Player – Alice
By Alice Vogt I am South African and was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease affecting the lungs and digestive system. I was diagnosed at age two, and my parents were told that there is about a 20% chance of me reaching the age of 20. However, I had a fairly normal childhood, apart […]
Power Player – Lisa Barker
After living a healthy and happy life, Lisa suddenly discovered she had a condition that only one in a million people develop. Soon after, she was put on the waiting list for an immediate liver transplant. Now, she and her husband are advocates for organ donation and transplant research. By Lisa Barker 2014-the start to […]
AST Statement on America’s Got Talent’s Angelica Hale
On behalf of the American Society of Transplantation (AST), I would like to congratulate Angelica Hale for her success on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Last night on the show’s finale, Angelica came in second place, but her inspiring transplant story has touched millions. At the age of 5, Angelica lost kidney function after double pneumonia. To keep […]
Kidney Recipient, Angelica Hale, Performs at America’s Got Talent Finale
10-year-old, Angelica Hale, has been stirring up a lot of national attention with her incredible voice and journey with kidney disease. At the age four, she was diagnosed with double pneumonia, which caused both of her kidneys to fail. She was on dialysis for 18 months before she received a transplant from her mother. Angelica […]
Power Player – Melanie
Melanie is just six months old, but she has been through a lot since she was born. When she was two months old, her parents were told that their little girl had been diagnosed with biliary cirrhosis which was causing liver cirrhosis. Unfortunately, the first surgery attempt to help Melanie was unsuccessful and caused her […]
Power Player – Bill
Bill considered himself to be a “lucky boy” growing up. He had a great relationship with his father; they played catch and watched baseball games for hours. He grew up in a Catholic household, where he attended church every week and was an altar boy with his brother. However, his perfect childhood came to an […]
Power Player – Christine
On October 24th, 1998, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Christine Galan became the first heart and liver transplant recipient in the Western United States. It was a new procedure, but Christine never doubted that it was for the best. Christine was born in Jamaica and moved to San Diego as a child. When she was a […]
Power Player – Rima
Rima has spent most of her life in and out of hospitals due to Cystic Fibrosis. She knew she would eventually need a double lung transplant, but for so long, she was told that she wasn’t sick enough. She was so used to being told it wasn’t time, that when she was finally told that […]
Power Player – Jean
By Jean Mihich One never knows what journey we will undertake in this lifetime. I must say that my journey as a person with kidney disease began in infancy and continues to this day. It has been a series of small steps towards awareness and understanding, which was first started by my parents who had […]
Power Player – Mary
By the time Mary was 12 years old, she had already received her second kidney transplant. After being on peritoneal dialysis for two years at 3-years-old, Mary’s kidneys completely failed by the age of 5. At 5 years old, Mary received her first kidney transplant. Both of Mary’s transplants were from deceased donors, as none […]
Power Player – Rachel
After watching a Katie Couric news segment in 2010, Rachel Bennett Steury made a decision that would change the life of someone she never met. The program was on kidney chains, kidney donation, and organ donation. Rachel never knew that kidney donation was possible while still alive. “I felt like Katie Couric was talking directly […]
Power Player – Nai
A PowerPlayer is anyone who supports the life-saving cause of organ donation and transplantation, from the patients who receive transplants to the donors and their families who make those transplants possible, to those who donate and create fundraisers for research. They serve to remind us that we all have the Power2Save. Our latest, Power Player, Nai Azzi, […]
Power Player – Glenda
When 15-year-old Glenda Daggert was diagnosed with Type I diabetes in the early 1960s, “you hid diabetes.” In spite of her illness, Glenda went on to earn degrees in physical education and instructional technology, then teach for several years. She married Ira Copperman, moved to New York, and joined IBM. After 30 years with the […]
Power Player – Cheryl
A PowerPlayer is anyone who supports the life-saving cause of organ donation and transplantation, from the patients who receive transplants to the donors and their families who make those transplants possible, to the medical professionals who arrange and perform the life-saving miracle of transplantation. They serve to remind us that we all have the Power2Save. […]
Power Player – Tom
Reading can often change our lives or make us think differently. In Tom’s case, reading a blog post from political writer, Virginia Postrel, changed his life and saved another. After reading the blog, he discovered that Postrel planned to donate one of her kidneys to author, Sally Satel. Although Tom did not know anyone who […]
Power Player – Crissi
After overhearing a conversation between her daughter and her daughter’s friend, Crissi made a decision that would change the life of a man she had never met. When her daughter was in high school, Crissi overheard a casual conversation that her daughter was having with a friend. The friend’s father needed a kidney transplant and […]
AST President Featured in USA Today
The President of the American Society of Transplantation (AST), Ron Gill, has been featured in an article published by Media Planet and included in USA Today. The article highlights the challenges that transplant recipients face such as organ rejection, medications, and the long waiting list. In addition, the article touches on the importance of the upcoming […]
Power Player – Lisa Washington
Lisa was born with scarred kidneys. By age 7, she was diagnosed with kidney disease. At 7, Lisa didn’t quite know what that meant, but thankfully, she was able to have a normal childhood. She always knew she would eventually need a kidney transplant, but she continued to live her life, got married, and had […]
Power Player: Lou Ann
There are a number of online pleas for living organ donations for those in need of a kidney transplant. It is a difficult ask for those in need, and it is a significant sacrifice for those who choose to answer. Our latest Power Player, Lou Ann, was surfing the web one day in 2014 when […]
Father’s Day Power Player: Alice
With Father’s Day upon us, most of us who are lucky enough to have our father’s in our lives are finalizing plans, buying gifts, and signing cards. It’s an important day to recognize. Our fathers are part of the reason we were given life. Our latest Power Player, Alice, won’t be able to find the […]
Power Player: Kati
A PowerPlayer is anyone who supports the life-saving cause of organ donation and transplantation, from the patients who receive transplants to the donors and their families who make those transplants possible, to the medical professionals who arrange and perform the life-saving miracle of transplantation. Kati was presented with an opportunity to save someone in her […]
Power Player: Jason Nothdurft
Community service has always inspired Jason Nothdurft. For 66 years, his grandfather served at his local volunteer fire company, followed by his father, who served 25 years, and Jason, who has served five years. His family has been recognized as the first family in New Jersey to have three generations volunteering in the same department […]
22 Years After His Death, Nicholas Green’s Heart Stops Beating
By Reg Green In 1994, The Green family was on vacation in Italy when tragedy struck. Their son, Nicholas, was killed by highway robbers. His parents, Reg and Maggie, decided to donate his organs, which saved the lives of seven people and tripled organ donation in Italy. Today, Reg Green continues to speak out about […]
American Society of Transplantation Welcomes Dr. Ronald Gill as New President
Mount Laurel, NJ – May 11, 2017 – The American Society of Transplantation (AST) announced its recently elected 2017-2018 board members, including its new president, president-elect, and secretary, at the American Transplant Congress (ATC) in Chicago. The AST inducted its new president, Ronald Gill, PhD, during its annual meeting on May 1, 2017. Dr. Gill is […]
How Will the AHCA Law Impact Transplant Patients?
The American Society of Transplantation (AST) recently issued a statement regarding the newly passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). The AST has several concerns about the law, as it is likely that it will result in many transplant patients losing insurance coverage. For more information, read the full release.
Power Players: The Vargas Family
Sarah Vargas, and her husband, Tony, are true Power Players in our eyes. Their daughter, Rosalina, was born with Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), which was discovered when she was four days old through newborn screening. At just 11 days old, the couple came close to losing their daughter. After that, they vowed to do […]
Lindsey’s Story: One Transplant for Life
At only 14 years old, Lindsey Duquette bravely testified before the FDA about the importance of organ transplant research and organ donation. As a young child, she contracted a rare kidney disease that resulted in hundreds of hospitalizations and the need for a kidney transplant. Luckily, her father was the perfect match. Hear her story […]
Power Player: Frank Greaney
Frank Greaney is happy to be alive, and he credits his survival to his organ transplant. In 1997, Frank Greaney was diagnosed with an autoimmune liver disease, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). PSC is a progressive liver disease for which there is no cure. He was soon listed for a liver transplant in the New England […]
Power Player: Steven Turner
Seven years ago, Steven Turner made a “Good Samaritan” decision – he became a living donor to a stranger. His story is truly heartwarming, as his selfless act kept another family whole. At the time, there was local news coverage about a young family that was facing the nightmare of kidney failure. The couple had […]
Manchester United and England Former Player Receives Kidney Transplant
Former Manchester United and England player, Andrew Cole, has received a kidney transplant. The 45-year-old suffered kidney failure after contracting an airborne virus in 2015. Manchester United released a statement, which indicated that Cole will be taking a break from his club ambassador role during his recovery. On behalf of Cole, the club issued the following statement, […]
April is National Donate Life Month
On March 31, 2017, President Donald J. Trump released a statement proclaiming April as National Donate Life Month. This month was first proclaimed in 2003 by President George W. Bush. This month, Power2Save will be honoring organ donors, recipients, and those who advocate in several ways – including featuring several stories from those who have […]
Power Player: Todd Gambill
We had the opportunity to chat with kidney recipient, Todd Gambill, on the one year anniversary of his kidney transplant. Todd shared his incredible story, although he insists that it is his donor’s story. When Todd was just a year old, he was diagnosed with a Wilm’s Tumor, which is the most common type […]
AST President Interviews on NPR About Kidney Transplants
Earlier this week, the President of the American Society of Transplantation, Anil Chandraker, was interviewed on NPR’s “The Point” about kidney transplants. He was joined by a kidney transplant recipient, Hanu Singh, in a fantastic show that provided an overview of the role of the kidney, kidney transplants, and AST’s Power2Save initiative. There are more people in […]
Charity Navigator Has Awarded Power2Save with 4-Star Rating
Power2Save, which was created by The American Society of Transplantation (AST), has been awarded a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America and it’s 4-star rating is its highest rating given to organizations. This rating has been given to AST and Power2Save as a result of its strong financial health […]
Power Player – Jason Kilderry
Jason Kilderry was an avid and passionate competitive runner in high school, but a polycystic kidney disease (PKD) diagnosis his freshman year of college brought an end to his racing days. “The most difficult part of the struggle with PKD was the impact it had on my abilities as an athlete,” says Jason. As the […]