Update at 9 Weeks Post-Surgery

Kidney Transplant Update: Just a note to say that I am one of the lucky ones to receive a kidney transplant this year. Each year only about 20% of persons in need of a kidney transplant actually receive one. A staggering 7,300 people die every year waiting for a kidney transplant (20 per day). Many of these individuals were good candidates for a transplant when they were first put on the waiting list. That is unimaginable and literally sickening. With a population of 320 million people, we transplant only about 20,000 kidneys each year.  See Kidney4Ellis.com

So you can see how I am indeed one of the lucky ones. It's now almost 9 weeks since my surgery and I am delighted to report that all is going very well. Creatinine level is 1.3 (down from 5.4 pre-surgery), a measure of kidney function.

I thank everyone who had a role in saving my life. I had two failing kidneys due to an inherited genetic disorder called Polycystic Kidney Disease ("PKD"). But foremost is saving me is my living donor, Cheri Ruane, an accomplished Boston-area professional and president of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. Also, Renewal of Life (a Brooklyn non-profit) provided immeasurable assistance, literally, by guiding me in designing a campaign to spread the word of my need for a kidney, as well as spiritually and by supporting my donor in every way imaginable. Renewal worked tirelessly before and after the surgery to make sure that donor and recipient were safe and healthy.

See https://youtu.be/J-acouiqssk.

Paying Forward: Among other activities now I am available (free of charge) to assist other persons with kidney disease in their efforts to find a living donor. Please feel free to contact me on that subject (emirsky@mirskylaw.com).

Success! Kidney Transplant Surgery Performed

Wednesday, July 19, 2017 is my other birthday.

It's the day that I received a kidney transplant at NY-Presbyterian Columbia Medical Center with the help of Renewal of Life (http://www.life-renewal.org/).  For several years I've been suffering from polycystic kidney disease ("PKD"), an inherited genetic disease that causes cysts to grow on and in the kidneys, gradually reducing kidney function.  This is what PKD looks like.

Through my website (http://www.Kidney4Ellis.com) and my FaceBook campaign I was fortunate that a fabulous person came forth and decided to become my kidney donor.  Cheri Ruane, a 44-year-old mother of two from Somerville Massachusetts, found it in her heart to be an angel from heaven and donate a very good kidney to me. 

Cheri had the support of her husband Chris, and children Cooper and Casey.

This beyond-words wonderful gift will certainly extend my life greatly and return me to normal functionality.   Prior to the surgery I was in kidney failure, days away from dialysis.  But now my kidney function, by all accounts, is normal and hopefully will stay normal for decades.  Certainly I will be on a regimen of anti-rejection drugs and other medicines for the rest of my life. But I will live and I will have a good quality of life.

 

I am recovering at home for a couple of weeks, possibly more, before returning to work.

There are no words to express my gratitude to Cheri Ruane and her wonderful supportive family who made the rest of my life possible.

Transplant Surgery Scheduled This Month

Several angels have come forward to save my life by donating a kidney.  Fortunately one of them has been approved by the transplant committee at NY-Presbyterian Columbia.  There are no words to express my and my family's gratitude.

It will be one year to the day from the time I registered at NY-Presbyterian Columbia until the date of my scheduled transplant surgery, and less than six months since I went online with this website.  Talk about the power of social media for reaching out, and the essential goodness of people who more than extend themselves to help others in need.  This truly is a profound gift of life.

Further information to follow.

Interim Thank You

This is just a short post to thank everyone, especially for the more than 1,100 shares and 17,000 views of my seminal post reaching out for help in sharing this website.  The website has generated a lot of interest, but I am still seeking a donor (type A or O blood) to give me the gift of life.  Short of donating, you can help by sharing this website (Kidney4Ellis.com).

Thanks everyone.

Ellis

Got Kidney?

UPDATE:

I NO LONGER NEED A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT.  I RECEIVED MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANT ON JULY 19, 2017 FROM THE MOST INCREDIBLE PERSON - CHERI RUANE.  HURRAY!  THANK YOU CHERI!

THIS PAGE USED TO READ AS BELOW, BUT MY LIFE HAS BEEN SAVED!  I AM BLESSED AND I AM SO EVER GRATEFUL TO CHERI, HER FAMILY, RENEWAL OF LIFE, NY-P COLUMBIA HOSPITAL, AND ALL OF THE DOCTORS, NURSES AND STAFF WHO CARED FOR CHERI AND ME.

Ellis Mirsky

emirsky@gmail.com

(914) 844-1571 (Cell)

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Thanks for Visiting

Here's what this page started off looking like:

I Need Your Help:

I am Ellis Mirsky and I need a kidney.  I have end-stage renal failure due to polycystic kidney disease ("PKD").  It's a genetic disease.  I inherited it.  Ultimately I need an angel to step forward to save my life by volunteering to give me a kidney (blood type A or O).  Tall order, I know.  It's a big ask.  So I'm not asking.  But I am asking for your help in another way.  There's something else that you can do to help me (and others with a similar need), even if you're not a donor: I need you to spread the word, and I'll show you how to do that in this post.  Your job simply would be to get the word out about my need for a kidney.

I am told that the more people who know of my need, the better my chance is of reaching a person willing to be an altruistic donor.  So, now it's all about getting the word out.  That's where you come in.

Who Am I?

I am a husband, father and grandfather.  I am a friend, a lawyer and a contributor.  I've always tried to do well by people and help others whenever possible.  My skills are in problem solving and I have helped many people with legal and other difficult situations.  People often come to me to talk about their problems seeking ideas and suggestions to move in a better direction.  In 2005 I formed a charitable foundation to raise funds for hurricane Katrina victims.  That foundation distributed money directly to victims and then continued on for the purpose of helping victims of other natural disasters and, ultimately, to fund pro bono legal services for under-served communities by making monetary contributions to about a dozen pro bono legal service provider organizations over a 10-year period.  I was recently elected to the board of directors of the New York Bar Foundation (the pro bono arm of the New York State Bar Association).  I've always helped others.  Now I need someone (any gender) to help me.

How to Help Me:

Give me 15 minutes (or more) and use that time to tell the world about this website (Kidney4Ellis.com).

• Email: Send this website to your friends (all of them) by email.
• Facebook: Post a small note on Facebook with a link to this website (icon above).
• LinkedIn: Post a small note on LinkedIn with a link to this website (icon above).
• Other Social Media Sites: Post a small note with a link to this website (icons below). 

And ask your contacts, readers, friends and acquaintances to do the same (to give this webpage exponential distribution).  

Why this is So Serious - My Options: 

Most people have two well-functioning kidneys but can lead a full and equally healthy life with just one kidney.  Both of my kidneys are almost fully shut down by PKD.  So, medically I now have only two options to continue living:

• dialysis (life expectancy about 5 years)
  
• transplant (a new lease on life)

According to USRDS data, Kidney transplant recipients fare far better than dialysis patients. I need those additional years in order to continue helping others.

My family members are medically disqualified as donors because of the genetic nature of PKD.

Also, if a willing donor is not an exact match, through an arrangement called "Paired Kidney Donation" (kidney swapping) a donor who is not a match for me might be a match for someone else and I would be eligible to receive that person's donor's kidney that would be a match for me. 

If You'd Like More Information:

For more information, see Columbia University Medical Center's "Becoming a Kidney Donor."
 

Lloyd E. Ratner, MD New York Presbyterian-Columbia

To Speak with Someone Confidentially:

If you'd like to speak with someone confidentially (without disclosing your inquiry to Ellis Mirsky), please call Renewal of Life* at 718-431-9831 x 209, or email to R14197@Renewal.org.  My Patient ID is R14197.  Your questions will be answered by a qualified person who is familiar with my case.

Speaking with a Renewal staff member is much better than speaking with me.  They know far more than I do and you will get better information from them than from me.  So please, feel free to contact Renewal.

Keep in mind that a confidential phone call to Renewal does not come with any obligations to proceed further.
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*Renewal of Life Inc is an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to find and match kidney donors for those suffering from various forms of kidney disease.
Note: It is illegal to exchange money for a kidney. No such request will be granted any consideration.