DONOR | Dawn's Story

Dawn Alonso

christine duncan Needs A LIVING Kidney DONOR

I worked with Chrissy when I worked at Springton Lake Middle School. We worked together for 8 years, until I left to get a full time job. She was there when I went through one of the worst times in my life. As often happens life got busy and we didn’t keep in touch as much as we did before. One day on the way to work I passed Chrissy you n her way to work. I called her and we chatted, what she told me blew me away. She had stage 5 kidney diseas and needed a transplant. How could that be, she was a young person like me?

As Chrissy and I started talking more I learned more about what she was going through. Dialysis nightly for 8 hours, fluid restrictions (which was a challenge for my friend who was never without her trusty bottle of water), endless doctors appointments, and waiting for a kidney donation.

While a donation from a deceased donor is an option, with over 1,600 people waiting for a kidney in PA alone, live donation is the best chance.
Even if you are not a match it may start a chain that will result in a donation to Chrissy.
The more people that share this story, the more people it will reach, and the better the chance of finding a donor.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become christine duncan's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact christine duncan's Transplant Center. Begin by completing the donor questionnaire

Becoming a Kidney DONOR Find a Transplant Center near you

Penn Medicine Transplant Institute

3400 Civic Center Boulevard, West Pavilion 2nd floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19104

(215) 662-4000 Email Transplant Center

Did you know?

Medical expenses for living organ donors are 100% covered, and inquires from potential donors are 100% confidential! Contact the Transplant Center to learn more about living donation.

More Donor FAQs

Share the Importance of Living Donation

There are currently 120,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Of these, 100,000 await kidney transplants.

The median wait time for a kidney transplant is 3-5 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility, and where you live.

In 2014, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the U.S. Of these, 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5,537 came from living donors.

Every 14 minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant waitlist.

A kidney from a living donor lasts longer and begins functioning more quickly than a kidney from a deceased donor.

In 1995, kidney donation became minimally invasive with a procedure called laparoscopic nephrectomy, which only requires four small incisions. Hospital stay is typically only 3 days after this operation.

Not blood type compatible with your recipient to be a living donor? Kidney Paired Donation (the “kidney swap” program) enables incompatible candidates with a living donor to receive a kidney from a compatible donor.

Last year, over 700 living donor kidney transplants occurred using Kidney Paired Donation.

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Kidney DONOR NEEDED

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