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Giving a Kidney Was Good for My Heart

Giving a Kidney Was Good for My Heart

About four years ago, I donated my kidney to someone I didn’t know. Today I work in the transplant field for a living, so being a donor comes up a lot. It’s basically the first thing most people find out about me. Which I really hate, to be honest: I don’t like...

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Living Donor Portrait: Josh Morrison

Living Donor Portrait: Josh Morrison

Eight years ago, Josh Morrison was in law school and doing what one often does while in school – reading. While most of his time was spent reading case law, in the fall of 2007 he happened to come across an article about a woman who needed a kidney. He was struck by the safety of the procedure and the fact that one could save a life without much impact on his or her own health. More than that, he was struck by the plight of the woman….

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Living Donor Portrait: David Reid

Living Donor Portrait: David Reid

In 1984, David Reid was settling into married life with his new wife Maggie. She hadn’t been feeling herself including some trouble sleeping and decided to visit her physician, who found that her blood pressure was extremely high. Tests revealed a form of Lupus, which had attacked her kidneys and already reduced their function severely….

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The Benevolence Boomerang

The Benevolence Boomerang

It is my belief that each one of us can make a difference in the quality of other human lives. Whether that means going the extra mile for one’s patient, giving money to a reputable charity, offering your time at the women’s shelter, or, in my case–donating a kidney to a stranger on dialysis–each is a path toward the same goal. Every interaction with a single individual creates an opportunity to alter both of your lives for the better.

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Insights from the Transplant Field: Part 1 or 2

Insights from the Transplant Field: Part 1 or 2

First, I want to say that the last 8 months as President of ASTS have been an absolutely incredible experience. It’s been a terrific opportunity and honor. To say I’ve learned a lot from colleagues and ASTS staff would be an understatement. While very busy and sometimes challenging, mostly it has been a joy having the bully pulpit and representing this great Society in discussions and conversations with colleagues, thought leaders, policy makers, regulators, and allied organizations.

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Insights into the Transplant Field: Part 2 of 2

Insights into the Transplant Field: Part 2 of 2

So those are [some] of the specific initiatives that make up this evolving strategy. But what do we use to hold this strategic initiative together; what is the glue that keeps us focused and moving in the right direction? My answer to the question is our Core Values that we live and work with. And I wanted to focus on a Core Value central to transplantation; that is altruism.

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Giving a Kidney Was Good for My Heart

Giving a Kidney Was Good for My Heart

Right now, six in seven people who need a transplant can’t find a living donor—I refuse to accept that six in seven Americans don’t have someone able and willing to save their life if only our community did a better job of supporting donation….

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Living Donor Portrait: Sedicah Powell

Living Donor Portrait: Sedicah Powell

Sedicah Powell is a mental health professional from New York. In 2014, life was intense. Good intense. She was working full-time and she’d just started graduate school at Fordham University to attain her master’s degree in Social Work. Then the news came….

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