Latest news with #NationalOrganTransplant
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
National Donate Life Month: Ohio man shares story of life-saving transplant
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Brian Bodle's active lifestyle came to a screeching halt a little more than a year ago when he said a lingering cough wouldn't go away. The 39-year-old would have to undergo a double-lung transplant after being diagnosed with short telomere syndrome, a genetic condition that affects major organs and causes the body to rapidly age. A lung transplant isn't something that's common in young people. Nearly half of all lung transplants in the U.S. are for people aged 50-64. Doctors say the survival rates can vary. 'The problem with lung transplant is that even though it seems like there would be plenty of organs to go around, probably less than 20-percent of the organs we hear about are actually viable, so when we identify people that could be donors, we make every effort to make those organs suitable for our patients,' Cleveland Clinic Dr. Jason Turowski said. Dr. Turowski heads the Cleveland Clinic Pulmonary Transplant team that treated Bodle. Dr. Turowski said Bodle's condition was touch-and-go before and after the transplant surgery. 'Young people like Brian, with the amount of oxygen he needed, still ambulatory, pretty well nourished and really having primarily that organ problem, are scoring system will prioritize people that sick,' Dr. Turowski said. April is National Donate Life Month in the U.S. It's a time to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation, giving people a second chance at life. 'Part of the reason that I went into this field is because sometimes there are just diseases that can't be treated by modern medicine and so organ transplant can be a person's last hope for survival,' Dr. Turowski said. Bodle, who is from the Columbus area, waited a week before he received his new lungs, a little more than a year ago. He said recovery has been a bit more challenging since short telomere syndrome causes wound healing issues. With a positive prognosis, his spirits remain high. 'Every day has its struggles, but every day is a good day,' Bodle said. Becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor gives hope to more than 100,000 people currently on the National Organ Transplant waiting list, all waiting for a second chance at life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Beloved Baltimore football coach diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease advocates for donors
Ronald "Coach Roe" Stevenson, a father of two, a family man, and a football-loving coach, is in dire need of a kidney. Coach Roe, who has been a youth coach in Baltimore County for more than a decade, was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease and needs a kidney donor. The coach has had to scale back his time on the football field because his condition has worsened. In 2022, Coach Roe learned he had Stage 4 kidney disease. "I was able to bring it back down to Stage 3 kidney disease," Coach Roe said. "I was 320 pounds, and I was able to get down to 260, and it helped for a while, but kidney disease is something you can't really reverse." The coach, who has been a mentor to countless children, is raising awareness of kidney disease and is an advocate for kidney donors. For more than 10 years, Coach Roe has been a coach with the Greater Pikesville Wildcats youth football teams , guiding hundreds of children, including his now 16-year-old son. "You know you have the chance to change the trajectory of a kid's life, and I take a lot of pride in that," said Coach Roe. Coaching football and mentoring children has not only kept him active but also involved him in the community. "And he is always out there with my grandson with football and active with a bunch of the football friends and coaches and everything," said Louvenia Richardson, Coach Roe's mother. Coach Roe told WJZ it was heartbreaking when he had to explain his condition to his team. "I was in and out with coaching this year, and I explained it to the team and everything, and they understood, but it kind of made them sad," Coach Roe said. More than 100,000 people are on the National Organ Transplant waiting list. Nearly 86% of patients waiting on the donation list need a kidney, however, it takes time to find a match. This is why Coach Roe wants to bring more awareness about all organ donations and kidney disease. "I would want this story to help anyone because it is thousands of people who suffer from kidney disease," Coach Roe said. Coach Roe's family says finding a kidney donor would give him a second chance at life and help him get back to doing what he loves. "The team moms and everything they say, 'Make sure you are drinking water, make sure you sit down,' and they get a chance to yell at me," Coach Roe said. "But, you know, we make the best of it." "I do know prayer changes things, and it will get you through," Richardson said. If you are interested in learning how to help or think you may be a match for Coach Roe, you can visit the University of Maryland Medical Center's Donor Referral Portal and fill out the survey . The University of Maryland performs living transplants for kidneys and livers. Doctors can help direct donations to someone you know, someone you don't or pair donations when you don't match your donor, but someone else may. Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month helps raise awareness about donation, encourages Americans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors, and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation You can learn more by visiting this website .
