When a deceased donor kidney becomes available, it is scored by the Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI). The lower the score, the longer the kidney is predicted to work.
How is the KDPI used? When would someone consider a high-KDPI kidney?
Dr. Anne Hummel, a transplant nephrologist, and Nicole Jefferson, a two-time high KDPI kidney transplant recipient, are here to give you the facts.
When Courage Meets Kindness
Jennifer Cramer-Miller
Marcia Ballinger, a leader in the Twin Cities executive search community, involves herself in an array of activities. Besides being a partner in Ballinger | Leafblad, she is an award-winning author, talented speaker, and serves on many boards. Her resume makes it clear—she donates her time to causes she cares about.
Recently, Marcia’s values prompted her to donate something far different from time or talent. She volunteered to save the life of her professional acquaintance by donating her kidney.
The expressed opinions of Dr. Mohottige are her own and do not reflect official VA policy or practice.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that veterans experience kidney disease 34% more than the general population. Currently, 600,000 veterans have kidney disease, 40,000 who have kidney failure.1 The VA performs around 160 kidney transplants per year, not counting transplants performed through the VA's referral program.2
Ben and Susan met by chance while dropping their children off at kindergarten more than twenty years ago. That was the start of a decades-long friendship between the children and families.
Neither knew this chance meeting would one day lead to Ben giving Susan the ultimate gift–a kidney donation.
Catching Up
Ben and Susan stayed in touch after their kids graduated high school but didn't see each other as often. From prior conversations, Ben knew Susan wasn't feeling well. He had no idea her kidneys failed until one fateful Halloween in 2019.
When Molly and Anthony Ruane gave birth to Matilda, their joy quickly turned to terror.
Matilda wasn't breathing. Her lungs and kidneys hadn't developed properly. Hospital staff whisked her away to emergency care. They weren’t sure she would survive.
Unsure what would happen next, Molly and Anthony could only wait.
Two hard years later, Anthony donated a kidney to Matilda. Today, Matilda is thriving thanks to her mother's diligent care and her father's selfless gift.
This is their story.
