List and Transplant Update

On Tuesday, I completed my transplant evaluation and attended the required transplant education class. It was a full day—from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.—spent meeting with the transplant team, undergoing various evaluations, and determining whether I’m a suitable candidate for a transplant.

I’m incredibly grateful and proud to share that, as of today, I’ve been officially approved for a kidney-pancreas transplant.

During the class, I was given a significant amount of information to process. A few key takeaways include:

• Waitlist Timeline: Due to my blood type (O positive) and the fact that this is a dual-organ procedure, the estimated wait time is currently 3 to 5 years.

• Lifelong Disease Management: This condition is chronic. Even after a successful transplant, I will need to take immunosuppressive medications for the rest of my life.

• Future Transplants Likely: Given my age (24), it’s likely I will require multiple transplants over the course of my life. A transplanted kidney typically lasts 10–15 years from a deceased donor and 15–20 years from a living donor. That means I could need up to three kidney transplants—or possibly more—to make it to age 60 and beyond.

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I concluded the appointment by deciding to be put on the waitlist for a Kidney and a Pancreas, however I decided if I were to get a living donor sooner, than I will take just a Kidney transplant (and still live with diabetes) so I can live more freely without needing dialysis.