Beaufort Man in Need of Kidney

None of us likes to wait, but imagine being part of a long line of those waiting for a second chance at life.  Patience is probably hard to come by.

Right now, there are more than 98,000 patients in the US on the organ transplant list.  More than 75,000 of those need a kidney.

Stanley Heyward of Beaufort is one of those in need.  But even with the pain that comes from his illness, he has a way of standing out in a crowd.  Like only a few out there, he sings a sweet song, despite the struggle.

"I feel good,” Heyward said.  “I have never felt so wonderful.  And I just want people to know who are on dialysis, it's not the end of the world."

But even with a cheery outlook, Stanley still has to face the music of his physical condition.

"It is very crucial.  I need a kidney right now,” he said.

He believes his donor is out there somewhere and has faith he'll find the funds to support his treatments.

“There have been so many people who have been not just a blessing to me but to my entire family,” he said.  “And when you think of the people in the community coming together for a critical need, you can't do anything but to thank God for just the little things."

Throughout the wait he'll keep singing his song and hope the right person is listening.

Stanley's friends are hosting a concert benefit in his honor this Saturday and you are invited.  It starts at 6:00 at USCB Performing Arts Center on Carteret Street.  For ticket information, call 843-838-6077. 

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From http://www.optn.org – the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network:

Waiting list candidates as of today 11:23am:

*All 98,734

Kidney 75,256

Pancreas 1,627

Kidney/Pancreas 2,253

Liver 16,385

Intestine 227

Heart 2,671

Lung 2,102

Heart/Lung 104

*All candidates will be less than the sum due to candidates waiting for multiple organs

Transplants performed January - December 2007:

Total 28,354

Deceased Donor 22,048

Living Donor 6,306

Based on OPTN data as of 03/28/2008

Fact Sheets at http://www.unos.org/Resources/FactSheets.asp (United Network for Organ Sharing):

How the Transplant System Works: Matching Donors and Recipients

Living Organ Donation

Organ Transplantation and Donation Facts at a Glance

Timeline of Key Events in U.S. Transplantation and UNOS History

UNOS Facts and Figures

Donor Designation (First Person Consent) Status by State

Common Myths of Organ Donation

Monitoring Compliance with organ transplant policy in the United States

 

More:

Resources from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/organdonation.html