Atrium Health finds new way to receive potential kidney donations

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A Huntersville man is searching for a hero. Like hundreds of others in our community, he’s been waiting years for a new kidney that could save his life.

Wayne Newell told Channel 9′s Gina Esposito that his life has not been the same since 2015, when his uncontrolled high blood pressure led to end-stage renal disease.

“It went from zero to 100, Newell said. “And six months later, I was on dialysis. So it was; it was a complete shock to me.”

Newell now spends three days a week on dialysis, making it nearly impossible for him to work and travel outside of the Charlotte area.

Doctors have told him he needs a new kidney, but he recently learned that he may have to wait another two or three years on the transplant list.

His wife, Julie Sain, told Channel 9 that’s not soon enough. She said she was hoping to find him a living donor as soon as possible.

What’s been really tough is coming out and saying that Wayne is asking for; that Wayne needs a kidney. It’s that’s not like me; that’s not like him. And that’s why it’s been so difficult. But we’ve got to; we’ve got to be the ones to pull through and push through a lot of that ourselves,” Sain explained.

Doctor Vincent Casingal, Chief Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery with Atrium Health, said about a thousand people in the Carolinas are waiting for kidneys.

“In the southeast, there’s a lower rate of living donors versus certain other parts of the country. We have unique challenges with patients coming forward and being healthy enough and safe enough to donate organs,” Casingal elaborated.

Despite the challenge, he said Atrium Health is trying to widen its net by getting more patients like Newell to advocate for themselves.

One way patients can do this is by having potential donors scan a QR code, which would lead them to this form. Doctors at Atrium Health can then run a series of tests while taking a look at their medical history.

“Even if they can’t donate, or maybe they’re not a match, maybe they can do a swap, or maybe they can just be part of the team that helps get the word out. said Casingal. “There’s more than one way to let people know, and absolutely people who get a kidney, it’s life-changing.”

As for Newell, he said he’s all about spreading awareness and maybe putting up a billboard. Anything to “find his hero.”

“We feel that it is a hero that’s willing to give their kidney to someone, you know, so that is a big, invasive, great thing that somebody could do for another person. So we call them heroes,” Newell expressed.

Atrium Health said so far the QR code process has led to more inquiries. So far this year, 367 people have expressed interest in organ donation, compared to 320 in 2023.

If you are interested in becoming a living donor for Nowell, you can contact him here.

VIDEO: Atrium Health encourages more people to become kidney donors

Atrium Health encourages more people to become kidney donors

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