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An 84-year-old Texas has become the oldest donor of organs
in the United States after giving up one of his kidneys to help save his neighbor.
Originally from Wimberly, Frank Dewhurst was successfully operated on for a kidney transplant from his neighbor, Linda Nall.
Nall has been diagnosed with lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease that attacks the body's own tissues. She had been suffering from the disease for years, which eventually caused her kidney failure.
A good Samaritan
Dewhurst said that he was aware of the state of Nall for years, but that's only when he saw Nall's sign in front of his yard, calling a donor of kidney, that he decided to give him one.
"The sign said" I am type O and I need a kidney transplant. Help me, please, "" he said
.
"After talking to my wife, I told her [Nall] could have mine. "
Dewhurst, a retired IBM engineer and president of the Home Owners Association, was first screened before being allowed to donate his kidney, which he said was very happy to do.
When Dewhurst asked Nall to give him his kidney, the 72-year-old woman did not expect it. She thought that he had gone to her house to ask her to remove the panel.
"When he told me that he wanted to give me his kidney, I was shocked," she said. "It's an incredible thing he's done for me and I'm very grateful."
After the operation, Dewhurst had to stay in the hospital only 48 hours before the doctors let him go home. He has now returned to regular exercise and normal daily activities.
Challenges of kidney transplantation
The kidney transplant between Dewhurst and Nall was performed by surgeons at the Houston Methodist Hospital. The doctors had to test Dewhurst's state of health to confirm that he was fit enough to become a donor of organs.
Dr. Hbadan Ibrahim, in charge of the living donor program at the hospital, explained that the problem they were facing was more about the health of patients, not their age.
"Kidney function does not decrease with age in most people, so seniors can be donors as long as they do not have cardiovascular disease, a cancer or other serious diseases, "he said.
.
The kidneys are considered especially viable gifts. Even if a person gives one of his kidneys, his remaining organ will be able to badume 70% of the function that both kidneys previously filled.
Up to 93,000 Americans are currently waiting for a kidney transplant
. However, only one in three candidates will be able to receive
a replacement organ within three years of being placed on the national waiting list.
Many of the remaining patients will either become too sick to stay eligible for a kidney transplant, or will die before even being scheduled for surgery.
In the United States, more than 200 people over 70 have donated their kidneys since 1995. However, more organ donors are needed to help other patients in the country.
The case of Dewhurst and Nall could encourage more seniors to donate their organs
.
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