My Journey

By: Madhu Thibaudeau When I was 13 years old, my mom got very sick and was in the hospital. After many days in the hospital, we found out she had a genetic disease that destroys kidney tissue function over time. The disease is called Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).  Our family took care of her as she underwent many tests, and a kidney transplant in 1984. Since then, my brother and I have watched our mom endure many hardships, including a second transplant (in 1992) that has lasted over 20 years (first one only lasted 8 years). My brother donated the second kidney to her, and it was at that point that I knew I would one day face the same fate she did. Madhu and her husband, Roger, before her transplant and his donor surgery I found out in my 20s that I had PKD as well. I researched about PKD and tried to live my life as best as I could, given the news. I took care of myself, ate a proper diet and exercised, knowing I would eventually need a transplant. Fast forward to 2014, I had completed my transplant evaluation and was contacting friends and family for a living donor. In an unlikely place, a good friend’s husband wanted to get tested and we ending up matching a week before Christmas. What a gift!! I had the transplant at the University of Maryland Medical Center in February 2015. We both recovered quickly and things seemed to go well, until I got a fever in mid-April. Only 2 ½ months after the transplant, what started out as a fever turned into my worst nightmare. T...
Source: Life in a Medical Center - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Patient Stories kidney transplant patient success story PKD Source Type: blogs