The National Kidney Registry And NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center Announce A Triple Swap Starting A Donor Chain

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 21 Feb 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The National Kidney Registry and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center announced the successful completion of three simultaneous living donor transplants in one of the nation's first triple swaps involving a donor chain. The surgeries took place last week on Valentine's Day and all six donors and recipients are doing well.

Today's transplants were made possible by Cynthia Marshall, an altruistic donor who contacted the National Kidney Registry over the internet, and traveled from California to donate her kidney to a stranger in New York. Through the amazing generosity of all the donors, not only do three people with kidney failure now have functioning kidneys, but a donor chain has started that has the potential to facilitate hundreds of transplants over time.

Cynthia was supported through the entire process by her husband Clint, who donated a kidney to his brother twelve years ago. "It is not surprising that both Cindy and Clint are former U.S. Marines. They are an inspiration to all of us and represent the best this country has to offer," said Garet Hil, Founder of the National Kidney Registry.

"The Registry is going to improve so many lives. I am grateful to everyone involved for giving me this opportunity to be a part of something so special," said Cynthia.

These three transplants are the start of the Registry's first donor chain -- a breakthrough approach to kidney transplantation. This approach holds the potential to facilitate thousands of transplants annually for people with incompatible or poorly matched donors. The Registry currently has 41 possible transplants identified across 6 participating centers and is planning to start several more donor chains in the coming months.

About the National Kidney Registry

The National Kidney Registry is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with a mission to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants in the world.

National Kidney Registry