Here is a short summary of how I got here:
In or around 2016, I developed a rare disease called amyloidosis. This condition allows certain proteins to attack various organs in a body. In my case, the amyloid went for my kidneys.
I started treatment at City of Hope where I have been receiving chemotherapy. I will probably have to have it forever! Meanwhile, I lost kidney function and had to start dialysis almost
two years ago. Dialysis is awful, let me tell you! I need it three times a week for four hours a pop. I can only stop dialysis if I get a working kidney. The best kidney is from a healthy
person, the more youthful the better! Most kidneys come from deceased people. In California, it takes about ten years on a wait list for a deceased donor, unless the putative donee gets
a kidney from a live donor. As you probably know, most people die before getting any kidney. Age is not in my favor! States with smaller populations have five or six year waits.
So, I'm not normally one to promote myself, but in this case, I must.
I'm hoping that a former classmate or someone from BHHS would be willing to donate a kidney, so I'd like to get this request out to as many people as possible. It's not the easiest thing
to ask someone to do, as you can imagine. Even more difficult to donate! It doesn't have to be the same blood type, a donated kidney from a live person will go into a pool and then,
theoretically, I would get the next kidney that matches me. Expenses of the living donor are reimbursed.
There are some organizations to contact for those who may wish to donate:
www.renewal.org,
www.uclakidneydonor.org
usclivingdonor.org
National Living Donor Assistance Center nldac@livingdonorassistance.org
YOU CAN EMAIL GEORGANN AT: georgann@dslextreme.com
June 20, 2023
Victor Weiner
Beverly Hills High School Class of 1967
Reunion Committee
Annie will be back at The Catalina Jazz Club. Great show!!
