Transplant Advisory Committee Member
Rebecca Baranoff, MSW is a two-time kidney transplant recipient. Her second transplant, from a deceased donor, has been with her for 27 uneventful years. She was diagnosed with Nephritis, specifically FSGS at age 19. Her first transplant was a preemptive kidney transplant donated by her mom when she was 21. Unfortunately, her immune system was too strong, and her body rejected her kidney, causing her to need dialysis after all. Rebecca was on peritoneal dialysis for four years.
Rebecca is grateful for her donor’s family for giving her the opportunity to become a wife and mother and a social worker in dialysis for fourteen years. As a renal social worker, she used her personal experiences to help her patients grow, learn about transplant and survive dialysis.
Today, she is a passionate advocate assisting patients facing the challenges of dialysis and navigating the transplant realm as a PEERS mentor with the National Kidney Foundation. She also engages with several online organizations providing virtual support groups including Lyfebulb’s TransplantLyfe and ReMend. Rebecca served a three-year term with OPTN Data Advisory Committee, as a Patient Representative and learned the ins and outs of our transplant system in ways she was not privileged to as a patient.
Rebecca is also giving back, as a donor-in-spirit, after the loss of her son as a LifeGift Ambassador, the OPO for Houston, Texas.
Lastly, Rebecca chooses to share her experiences with transplant and dialysis with the greater kidney community through a memoir she wrote. Her book it is titled A Kidney or Two and it will be published soon.
Patient Advocate and Transplant Recipient