Kansas City, Kan.-based University of Kansas Hospital and Kansas City, Mo.-based Children's Mercy Hospital performed a six-person kidney transplant chain Oct. 29-30. The three donors and three recipients met for the first time since their surgeries Nov. 14, according to The Kansas City Star.
Multi-organ donation chains are rare due to logistical planning. In most cases, organ donation chains require at least one donor donating an organ who does not know any of the other recipients.
In the six-person donation chain in Kansas, this was Ky Kanaman, who contacted KU about being a living kidney donor after finding out there are more than 100,000 people in the U.S. on dialysis and in need of a transplant.
Mr. Kanaman was a match for Dayshanae Hosman, who is a friend of the Children's Mercy nurse who initiated the transplant chain, Christa Jordan, RN. Ms. Jordan was also a match for Ms. Hosman, but not as good as Mr. Kanaman was. Ms. Jordan was a better match with a patient on KU's transplant list, Lauro Zuniga. Mr. Zuniga's mother was not a match for him, but could giver her kidney to another person on the KU's list Matt Lewis.
Ms. Jordan agreed to donate her kidney to Mr. Zuniga if Mr. Kanaman donated his kidney to Ms. Hosman. Ms. Zuniga donated her kidney to Mr. Lewis.
All three kidney donors and three recipients met up for the first time Nov. 14 after their surgeries.
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