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This Podcast Will Kill You

Ep 66 The Outs and Ins of Organ Transplantation

This Podcast Will Kill You

Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Health & Fitness, Science

4.8 • 17.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2021

⏱️ 103 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From the first skin grafts to the future of 3D printed organs, the science of organ transplantation has always seemed like something out of a sci-fi novel. How on earth can an organ from one person be removed and successfully placed into another person? Who first attempted such a monumental feat, and how long did it take for trial and error to become trial and success? Our episode this week seeks to answer these questions and so many more as we tackle the massive topic of organ transplantation. We begin by examining the immunological nitty gritty of transplant science and follow that up with the long and storied history of transplants. We round things out with a look at the numbers, which show the unfortunate reality that demand far outpaces availability, a reality that may soon be improved with innovative approaches towards bioengineering. And we are so excited to be joined by two fantastic guests, Carol Offen and Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Crais, who share their stories of what it’s like to donate or receive a kidney.  Carol, who is a NKF Kidney Advocacy Committee member, has a great website that includes many resources where you can learn more about kidney donation as well as keep an eye out for Carol and Betsy’s book, The Greatest Gift: The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation. You can also follow Carol on Twitter (@CarolOffen) and through heradvocacy page on Facebook. We will also post additional links for where to learn more about organ donation and advocacy work on our website.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is exactly right.

0:02.0

I'm Carol Loffin and 14 and a half years ago I donated a kidney to my son Paul.

0:14.8

He was in college when he was diagnosed with kidney disease and it came totally at a left

0:21.8

field.

0:22.8

He was not someone with risk factors.

0:26.2

He didn't have high blood pressure, diabetes.

0:28.8

He was no beast.

0:29.8

He was a skinny college kid and he was otherwise healthy.

0:33.4

What he had was a lindering strep infection.

0:36.6

But he was otherwise healthy and they said, well, we'll monitor it.

0:41.1

But it could be years.

0:42.1

It could be 20 years before it ever got to kidney failure.

0:45.0

By that time, there's going to be a cure or some great treatment.

0:49.9

Let's just watch it and put it on the back burner, which we did.

0:55.1

In a couple months after college graduation, he went for his normal lab work and found out

1:01.9

that his kidneys were failing.

1:04.3

And that within a few months, he was going to need dialysis, but ultimately it transformed.

1:10.2

And we would just blindsided.

1:12.9

Everyone in the family said they wanted to be tested.

1:16.4

But my husband had had kidney stones.

1:19.6

They eliminated him.

1:20.6

Our daughter was barely 15 at the time and they wouldn't even consider her.

...

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