DONOR | Anthony's Story

Anthony Barba

LIVING Kidney DONOR NEEDED

My name is anthony barba, I am 41 years old at the age of five I was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 25. I started losing my vision, about 4 1/2 years ago my journey with Dialysis started. In that time, my Diabetes is a lot better off controlled, my last A1c was 7.2. I work in the kitchen of a restaurant and love the people that I work with. I also love listening to audiobooks.

I got diagnosed with kidney failure around 4 1/2 years ago. I wake up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning at 3 AM just to meet My ride to Dialysis which comes for me around 4:30 AM. I like getting Dialysis over with early so that I am able to work on Wednesday and Friday when I am finished. Sometimes after Dialysis, I am completely exhausted, but had never called out of work for that reason. I can honestly say that being on Dialysis hasn’t really affected me in a negative way, I like the facility that I go to and enjoy seeing the other people when I am there. I can honestly say that my life got turned upside down when I lost my site when I was 25 that’s when all the activities That I either enjoyed doing or were used to doing were affected, since then I have just wanted to live as normal of a life as possible, which is why I seek employment and I now live alone with my cat Luna.

I don’t think I would have to say that having a transplant would mean the whole world to me, it would be like getting another chance. I have spent years on Waze so that my diabetes and my visual impairment. Don’t really dictate how I live. With a transplant I think I can get into a more normal work schedule and routine on a daily basis. Although I think I would honestly miss going to Dialysis on a regular basis, I would still have to go back and visit on occasion. This will definitely help me achieve my goal And help me just to be the same and live just like everybody else.

I would just like to thank everybody that has taken the time to read my story, I would appreciate any help at all by either getting my story out there or with a short prayer. Thank you all so very much.

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If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Anthony Barba's Transplant Center. Begin by completing the donor questionnaire

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Yale New Haven Transplantation Center

333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520

(866) 925-3897 Email Transplant Center

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Medical expenses for living organ donors are 100% covered, and inquires from potential donors are 100% confidential! Contact the Transplant Center to learn more about living donation.

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Share the Importance of Living Donation

There are currently 120,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Of these, 100,000 await kidney transplants.

The median wait time for a kidney transplant is 3-5 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility, and where you live.

In 2014, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the U.S. Of these, 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5,537 came from living donors.

Every 14 minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant waitlist.

A kidney from a living donor lasts longer and begins functioning more quickly than a kidney from a deceased donor.

In 1995, kidney donation became minimally invasive with a procedure called laparoscopic nephrectomy, which only requires four small incisions. Hospital stay is typically only 3 days after this operation.

Not blood type compatible with your recipient to be a living donor? Kidney Paired Donation (the “kidney swap” program) enables incompatible candidates with a living donor to receive a kidney from a compatible donor.

Last year, over 700 living donor kidney transplants occurred using Kidney Paired Donation.