BWH Pays Tribute to Living Kidney Donors and Transplant Recipients

BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL

From left: Stefan Tullius, Edward Coppinger, Eileen Coppinger and Anil Chandraker, MD, medical director of Renal Transplantation, who presented on the future of kidney transplants at the event

For most patients with end-stage renal disease, a kidney transplant from a living donor offers the best possible treatment for failing kidneys. Last month, BWH’s Kidney Transplant Program honored both donors and recipients at its inaugural Living Donor Appreciation Night, which focused on the life-changing impact of a living donation.

“Patients with a living kidney donor can be transplanted healthier and more quickly, and the transplanted organ remains viable for almost twice as long when compared to a kidney from a deceased donor,” said Stefan Tullius, MD, PhD, FACS, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery and surgical and program director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation. “That is why it is so important that we recognize the wonderful gift that our living donors have provided.”

During the keynote address, Massachusetts state Rep. Edward Coppinger described how receiving a kidney from his sister, Eileen Coppinger, at BWH last year changed his life. The siblings celebrated the one-year anniversary of the transplant by running a five-mile road race together. They also ran a 10K race together in August to raise money for the New England Organ Bank. Continue reading 

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