Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Successful kidney transplant performed!

On November 12, I was given the most amazing gift!  A very special angel donated her kidney to me.

This made our Thanksgiving a truly special one. I have been given the gift of life, my quality of life will resume, and I will no longer need dialysis.

I will be on a lifelong regimen of anti-rejection drugs and other medicines, and happy for that.  We will be forever grateful to my donor, my supportive family and friends, and the outstanding transplant team at Hackensack University Medical Center.

More updates will follow. Thank you to each and everyone of you who shared my website. I never thought we would reach over 250,000 views. We are truly blessed.

Love and hugs to all,

Jackie

Sunday, March 18, 2018

An Open Letter to Save My Life

Help me by Sharing this Post:
I am Jackie.  I need a kidney.  Not necessarily your kidney, but someone's.  You can help just by sharing this post with your friends on FaceBook.  Together we can find that angel willing to do the extraordinary to save my life.

Jacqueline (Jackie) Anna Triguero and Family

I have end-stage renal failure due to polycystic kidney disease ("PKD").  It's a genetic disease.  I inherited it. I am currently on dialysis.  Ultimately I need an angel to step forward to save my life by volunteering to give me a kidney (blood type B or O).  Tall order, I know.  It's a big ask.  So I'm not asking.  But I am asking for your help in another way.  There's something else that you can do to help me (and others with a similar need), even if you're not a donor: I need you to spread the word by sharing this request, and I'll show you how to do that in this post.  Your job simply would be to get the word out about my need for a kidney.

I am told that the more people who know of my need, the better my chance is of reaching a person willing to be an altruistic donor.  So, now it's all about getting the word out.  That's where you come in.

Who Am I?
I am a wife, a mother, a daughter and a teacher.  I am a friend. I am a kind, compassionate and mindful individual. I volunteer at our local church food pantry.  I love my family and my job as an elementary school teacher, teaching for well over 20 years, mostly in kindergarten and first grade. 

I hope to watch my amazing girls continue to grow and start families of their own someday. I hope to enjoy the role of grandparent with my loving husband in the future. I enjoy reading, game night with my family and I love to travel. I have very happy memories of family vacations, with special times spent together on cruises, at the beach, and at our special place, Walt Disney World. I hope to continue enjoying life to its fullest and many more precious moments of time with my family and friends.

People tend to notice my smile and positive attitude.  I always try to do the right thing and help others.  Now I need someone to help me.  Anyone.  Thank you for your help in saving my life.

How to Help Me:
I need your help to find a kidney donor so I can live.

Please give me 15 minutes (or more) and use that time to tell the world about this website (Kidney4Jackie.com).
  • Email: Send this website to your friends (all of them) by email.
  • Facebook: Post a small note on Facebook with a link to this website (icon above).
  • LinkedIn: Post a small note on LinkedIn with a link to this website (icon above).
  • Other Social Media Sites: Post a small note with a link to this website (icons below). 
And ask your contacts, readers, friends and acquaintances to do the same (to give this webpage exponential distribution).  
 
Why this is So Serious - My Options: 
Most people have two well-functioning kidneys but can lead a full and equally healthy life with just one kidney.  Both of my kidneys are almost fully shut down by PKD.  So, medically I now have only two options to continue living:
  • dialysis (life expectancy about 5 years)
  • transplant (a new lease on life)
According to USRDS data, Kidney transplant recipients fare far better than dialysis patients. I need those additional years in order to continue helping others.

My family members are medically disqualified as donors because of the genetic nature of PKD.

Also, if a willing donor is not an exact match, through an arrangement called "Paired Kidney Donation" (kidney swapping) a donor who is not a match for me might be a match for someone else and I would be eligible to receive that person's donor's kidney that would be a match for me. 

If You'd Like More Information:
For more information, see Columbia University Medical Center's "Becoming a Kidney Donor" and/or watch this short video. 

Lloyd E. Ratner, MD New York Presbyterian-Columbia

To Speak with Someone Confidentially:
If you'd like to speak with someone confidentially (without disclosing your inquiry to me), please call:

Katie Murdock, Living Donor Coordinator, Hackensack University Medical Center, Living Donor Institute, at (551) 996-4453 (or complete online Living Donor Intake Form);
or

Angela Templeton, donor coordinator at Westchester Medical Center, Kidney Transplant at (914) 493-7864.

Your questions will be answered by a qualified person who is familiar with my case.

Speaking with a staff member is much better than speaking with me.  They know far more than I do and you will get better information from them.  So please, feel free to contact them.

Keep in mind that a confidential phone call to the hospital does not come with any obligations to proceed further.

Help Me by Sharing.  Unfortunately, "Likes" are Not Enough:
So, please help me by Sharing this post with your Facebook and other friends.  Please do more than "like" or comment.  Likes and comments are the "hopes and prayers" of social media.  Shares = action; the action needed here.

I need your help to find a kidney donor so I can live.

Together, we can do it.  Yes we can.

Thank you,

Jackie

______________
Note: It is illegal to exchange money for a kidney. No such request will be granted any consideration. 

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Successful kidney transplant performed!

On November 12, I was given the most amazing gift!  A very special angel donated her kidney to me. This made our Thanksgiving a truly spe...

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