Second Chances: Du Quoin Man's Gift of Kidney Changes Friend's Life
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[If we are defined by what we give, all of us should be defined by 40-year-old Aaron Wright of Du Quoin.
On Tuesday, September 6, Aaron entered Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. to donate a kidney to a friend--Patrick Ranta, 24, a Campbell Hill native now living in Marion. Patrick is actually a distant relative on his brother & sister-in-law's side.
Patrick suffers from Alport Syndrome, characterized by endstage kidney disease, and hearing loss. Alport syndrome can also affect the eyes.
It was first identified in a British family by Dr. Cecil A. Alport in 1927.
Alport syndrome is caused by mutations in COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5 genes. Mutations in any of these genes prevent the proper production of collagen, which is an important structural component to membranes in the kidney, inner ear, and eye. When mutations prevent the formation of collagen fibers, the membranes of the kidneys are not able to filter waste products from the blood allowing blood and protein into the urine.
Mothers are carriers, and the disease is passed on to only the male children.
A failed kidney transplant at the age of 16 left Patrick with diminished kidney function (about a fourth of his remaining kidney was functioning) and he has lived on dialysis ever since.
"I have known Patrick for about 10 years and I saw him in March at a birthday party and wished I could do something," Aaron remembers.
The question came up as to whether Aaron had ever been tested as a match. Aaron has an A-Positive blood type. Patrick is A-Positive. And, upon further testing, the lab at Vanderbilt found that Aaron was a perfect match for three of the most important markers and a close match for the other three markers.
"I prayed and I prayed about this," says Aaron. "If you have faith, this is what needed to be."
Since Patrick was diagnosed, all of his medical help has come from Vanderbilt Hospital, so the transplant was done there.
Since the surgery 10 days ago, Patrick's body is accepting the kidney. He has returned to full kidney function. Since Aaron's kidney is not genetically linked to any Alport Syndrome, there is no chance that the disease will attach itself to the new kidney. Eight years of dialysis three days a week ended last week.
For Aaron--a sales representative for Main Street T's-- his kidney will grow to twice its current size. "You need kidney function from three-fourths of one kidney," Aaron said. "I can't take ibuprofin or Aleve anymore," but that's about it.
Aaron said he asked God to "walk me through this" and "He did."