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Kidney Patient Stories

An Atruistic Living Kidney Donor’s Story
There are some people for whom giving is just a way of life. People like parents, police officers, organ donors. People like Phillip Wisely.
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The Accidental Kidney Donor
In trying to close the chapter on a long medical ordeal in her life, Toni Brookhouse opened a new chapter in the lives of at least four other people.

Auxiliary President Never Backs Down from a Fight – for Life
Ron Pestka’s determination and zest for life have seen him through tragedies and triumphs, and has strengthened his commitment to helping others.

Transplant from daughter ends dialysis for IL woman
Mother's Day has special significance when a woman receives a kidney from her daughter.

Barnes-Jewish performs successful heart-kidney transplant
Washington University surgeons performed the first combined heart-kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital June 2 and 3 on Jonathan Sadowski, 20, of O’Fallon, MO.

Hope through kidney transplant
When Mary Dean of Florissant, Mo., heard her friend Dorie Wilner discussing how none of Wilner's relatives were suitable donors for a kidney transplant, Dean's mission was clear.

Man Donates Kidney to Best Friend
We like to think there isn't anything we wouldn't do for a friend, but Michael Moore has the proof: he donated his kidney to his best friend.

Kidney Donor and Father Visit Transplant Patients on Anniversary
For Reverend Charles Chatman of St. Charles, MO, the effects of transplant were dramatic.
Illiopolis Couple a Perfect Match; Wife Donating Kidney to Husband
30 years of marriage and couple find out they have a compatible kidney.

Ambrose Perkins, kidney transplant
Thanks to a good friend & a kidney transplant, he can enjoy family, work and fishing. 
 
For additional information or to begin a transplant evaluation, call .

 

Ambrose Perkins

Ambrose Perkins was an active father and grandfather. He enjoyed his job as a bus driver, and he especially loved fishing, spending much of his free time with a rod and reel. When hypertension caused his kidneys to fail, Ambrose's doctors told him a transplant was his best bet for a normal life. Because none of his family members were donor candidates, he went on the waiting list for a donor organ. One day, as Ambrose told his boss about his condition, his friend and co-worker, Kim Monroe, overheard and offered to donate her kidney. Ambrose thought she was kidding. But Kim made an appointment to be evaluated as a donor and drove to Barnes-Jewish for an extensive work up. It turned out that Kim's kidney was a close match for Ambrose. On Nov. 15, 2005, Kim underwent a mini-nephrectomy - a minimally invasive donor procedure developed at Barnes-Jewish, and Ambrose received her healthy kidney. Both were out of the hospital within a week. Thanks to the skill of his doctors, the support of the transplant center team, and the generosity of his co-worker, Ambrose is reeling in fish once again.

  • Ambrose Perkins was an active father and grandfather. He enjoyed his job as a bus driver, and he especially loved fishing, spending much of his free time with a rod and reel. When hypertension caused his kidneys to fail, Ambrose s doctors told him a transplant was his best bet for a normal life. Because none of his family members were donor candidates, he went on the waiting list for a donor organ. One day, as Ambrose told his boss about his condition, his friend and co-worker, Kim Monroe, overheard and offered to donate her kidney. Ambrose thought she was kidding. But Kim made an appointment to be evaluated as a donor and drove to Barnes-Jewish for an extensive work up. It turned out that Kim s kidney was a close match for Ambrose. On Nov. 15, 2005, Kim underwent a mini-nephrectomy - a minimally invasive donor procedure developed at Barnes-Jewish, and Ambrose received her healthy kidney. Both were out of the hospital within a week. Thanks to the skill of his doctors, the support of the transplant center team, and the generosity of his co-worker, Ambrose is reeling in fish once again.
  • After a kidney transplant, nutrition and wellness are so important. The team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and kidney transplant patients discuss how diet and exercise improves life and organ rejection rates.
  • In 2010, Jonathan Sadowski became the first patient at Barnes-Jewish to receive a combined heart/kidney transplant, a new procedure allowing some patients after heart transplant to avoid dialysis.
  • April 5, 2008 Good Morning America interview at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with kidney transplant donor Michael Moore and recipient Stephen Gottschalk of Hillsboro, Mo.
  • Kidney transplant starts with an evaluation. From there, patients decide between a living and deceased donor transplant. Throughout the process, patients have resources to help make that decision, from fellow patients to physicians.
  • Overview of kidney transplant services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
  • Find out the requirements for kidney transplant and the choices involved for patients. Patients discuss the evaluation process and deciding between a living and deceased donor kidney.
  • Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 1 of this three part Patient Story series.
  • Edith Ritter needed a kidney transplant. Her son Steven Pursely found out he was a match. Watch their special relationship play out in Part 2 of this three part Patient Story series.
  • Surgical teams at Barnes-Jewish, Johns Hopkins and Integris Baptist successfully completed the first six-way, multihospital, domino kidney transplant.
  • Watch patients describe what it’s like before and after surgery. Learn more about the kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire participated in the first UNOS-coordinated match paired organ transplant. Find out more about the concept and how it changed the life of a St. Louis couple.
  • Patients living on dialysis have the option to receive a kidney transplant. Discover the benefits of kidney transplantation and the freedom patients have without living on dialysis.
  • Nephrologist, Barnes-Jewish & Washington University Transplant Center
  • Patients are monitored carefully after kidney transplant, to avoid organ rejection. From pills to exercise, hear patients talk about adjusting to life after transplant.
  • Around 40% of kidney transplants at Barnes-Jewish come from living donors. Find out more about the process through the story of 34 year-old Jamie Schneider.
 

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