CINCINNATI -- When Todd Kuipers was tested to see if he could donate a kidney to his father nine years ago, he found out he had the same disease as his father and would eventually need a kidney himself.
“I really began to get sick, and my kidney function got down to about 10 percent,” Kuipers said.
Kuipers recieved a kidney last year, and now, he has his health back.
“We are thankful that there are people out there who will actually donate and help people like me,” Kuipers said.
Kuipers spoke at Christ Hospital’s event Friday morning, which kicked off National Donate Life Month.
About 615 people are waiting for a kidney transplant in Cincinnati, according to Christ Hospital Transplant Coordinator Paula Franckhauser, and about 121,000 people in the U.S. need a kidney transplant.
“When I first started doing this, we might do 60 a year. We were lucky if we had 20 living donors,” Franckhauser said. “Now, we do 60 a year, and 40 are living donors, so it’s just wonderful.”
National Donate Life month runs through April 30.
