Jay's mother Joan suffered from renal failure and her quality of life was rapidly deteriorating. She spent several days a week in dialysis, and when she wasn't being treated, she was exhausted and couldn't live her life as she wanted. Joan needed a kidney transplant, but because she had both rare blood and tissue types, the prospects of finding a match were poor.
Jay's Story
Jay was the one who could give his mother a kidney, and when he found that out, he didn’t hesitate. “When the lady who has raised you for 47 years needs something now, and you have it, it is really an easy decision.”
Jay remembers the look on his mother’s face and the sparkle in her eyes when he first saw her after the transplant, performed by Ronald Pelletier, MD. “It was at that moment that I knew this was my purpose here.”
The change in his mother’s quality of life was instantaneous. She was no longer tied to a dialysis machine. She could go for a walk, have lunch with friends, travel to see her family. With the help of Ohio State, Jay was able to give his mother a longer, happier, healthier life.
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The Wexner Medical Center Development Officec/o The Ohio State University Foundation
P.O. Box 736096
Chicago, IL 60673-6096