Vietnam Veteran is in need of a live kidney donor!

Ramon Macias a Vietnam Veteran needs a kidney transplant.

Ramon Macias, US Army, Vietnam '66-'68, 167th Signal Company developed Chronic Kidney disease from exposure to Agent Orange. He is now in need of a kidney transplant and is looking for a live kidney donor. The wait for a kidney that would be a match from a deceased donor is over five years.

If you're interested in being a living donor for Mr. Macias, please contact  his transplant coordinator, JoAnn Johnson at the VA Nashville Transplant Center, in Nashville, Tn. Her direct line is 615-873-8668, please leave a voicemail message and she will return your call. The Nashville VA Transplant Center will pay for all of the travel and medical expenses so there will be no cost to the donor for the gift.

For anyone who may be interested in becoming a living kidney donor, here is a link for information on the requirements to become a living kidney donor: 

http://angieslogspot.blogspot.com/2012/01/give-life-be-living-kidney-donor.html 

A note from Mr. Macias' daughter-Carol Garza:

Thank you for reading this and for considering giving the gift of life to my dad. If you are not able to be a donor, could you please share my father's story with your friends and family. May God Bless you always.

"My dad was the middle of 5 boys born. He was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Graduated high school and was drafted afterwards. My grandparents owned a grocery store. I was the first "granddaughter born", So naturally my dad named me after my grandmother (his mom) and my middle name is after my mom's sister. (my aunt)"

For more from Carol and her family please see their Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kidney-donor-needed-for-Vietnam-Veteran/161060164002218

Kidney Donor Needed for Vietnam Veteran!

This is on the behalf of a friend who's father needs your help!

I am writing this request for my dad. My dad Ramon Macias (Ma-ci-as), who served in the US Army -during Vietnam in 1966-1968 in the 167th Signal Company. He developed Chronic Kidney disease from exposure to Agent Orange Exposure, and is now needing a transplant. My dad was drafted right after high school, when Duty called, and he answered. He wasn't much younger than 18 years old, as he showed me the picture of him dressed up in that uniform. That picture was for my grandma and how she cried when the news arrived that he was going to Vietnam. Duty called, and he answered while the whole world spit in his face. My dad learned how to be a man in some Gosh forsaken place. Still people think he's a disgrace. While in Vietnam working for Uncle Sam, at 18 yrs old. So duty called, and my dad answered his country to serve, but as an result of Agent Orange, he developed chronic kidney disease (service connected). He is now needing a living kidney donor. I (his daughter) am not not able to donate one of my own.

We have been told that the wait list is at least 5 + years on the waitlist just for a deceased donor. The benefits of receiving from a living donor is that the wait list wouldn't be as long.

If you're interested in being my father's living donor, please contact my father's transplant coordinator, JoAnn Johnson @ the VA Nashville Transplant Center, in Nashville, Tn. Her phone number direct is 615-873-8668, if not available leave a voicemail message and she will return your call. Nashville VA Transplant Center, will pay for all travel, medical expenses to Nashville.There will be no out of pocket fees (medical,etc) for this gift.

Please contact my dad's transplant coordinator, Joanne Johnson at the Nashville VA Tennessee. (1-615-873-8668 ) They will ask you some questions regarding whether you're willingness to donate. THE VA will pay for your travel to Nashville for this. Please email me as well, to notify me of the interest in providing a gift of life to my dad. Thanks again for looking at this ad, even if you're not interested, please pass along to someone who might be interested. May God Bless you always.

For more information please see: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kidney-donor-needed-for-Vietnam-Veteran/161060164002218?sk=info

Give Life, Be A Living Kidney Donor!

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT DONOR REQUIREMENTS:

In 2009, 38 percent of the 16,830 kidney transplants were made possible by the bravery and generosity of living kidney donors. In that year, 6,388 lives were changed because of this life-saving act. All of those donors were willing to undergo surgery to have one of their kidneys removed and live the rest of their lives with a single kidney so that someone else could benefit.

The criteria to become a donor are relatively easy to satisfy, which means that an increasing number of individuals can become donors.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
The University of California San Francisco Medical Center requires donors to be between the ages of 18 and 65. Donors must be reasonably fit nonsmokers. Transplant centers often reject overweight volunteers until they lose weight. Donors need not be related to the recipient. Surgeons perform thousands of transplants every year between nonrelatives.

BLOOD TYPE:
An ideal donor has either the same blood type as the recipient or has type O blood, which is safe for any recipient. The Rh factor does not matter. Rh factors are immunological markers found in blood that are characterized as positive or negative. For example, a type A negative donor can give a kidney to an type A positive recipient. In some situations, a kidney donor may be willing to donate to a particular person, such as a friend or relative, but cannot do so because he is a poor match. In these cases, donors should explore paired donation. Through paired donation, a poorly matched donor can donate to a more suitable recipient, and in exchange, his friend or relative receives a kidney from a different donor, one who is also poorly matched to a particular candidate.

TISSUE MATCHING:
A prospective donor should also have a close tissue match with the recipient. Doctors base this match on six different histocompatibility antigens, immune response markers that characterize the tissue. Doctors determine histocompatibility antigens of prospective donors using a simple blood test. Perfect matching is not required, but some matches are better than others. If a prospective donor is excluded because of an unsuitable tissue match, paired donation is, again, a possible option.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:
Donors should be free from medical issues that are risks for donation and transplantation. For example, a common medical exclusion for a donor is hypertension. Doctors also evaluate possible cardiovascular and kidney problems because these would exclude someone from donating, as would a prior history of some cancers. Other exclusions include diabetes, intravenous drug use, and certain infectious diseases—hepatitis, for example. Donors who are excluded for medical reasons can often be reevaluated once the condition has resolved.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION:
Prospective donors also undergo psychological evaluations to confirm that they are free from any mental health issues that would make the procedure risky. For example, donors who are mentally unstable are not good candidates because they may be unable to care for themselves properly after surgery. Physicians also make an effort to select donors who would not be psychologically harmed if a recipient ultimately lost the donated kidney.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/130966-kidney-transplant-donor-requirements/

A Perfect Pair!

The two most perfect little ones ever!

My Grandson & Granddaughter

who are both so sweet and adorable,

I can't explain how much love I have for them.

They are so smart and growing up so fast, too fast.

Their Mommy & Daddy are doing a great job with them.