Millions of Americans today are waiting for donor kidneys. Typically a transplant can't be done unless the organ donor and recipient are a match in blood types, but a new innovative procedure introduced at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is changing that.
An estimated 30% of patients needing a new kidney have been turned down due to blood incompatibility issues. Today, at the Cedars-Sinai Transplant Immunotherapy Program, the transplant team is breaking down what is known as the ABO Incompatibility barrier. People who previously had no access to a kidney transplant now can have one - and a young man from Bakersfield is proof of that.
Nathan Gutierrez came into the world May 10, 1983. At six and a half pounds he appeared to be a healthy baby, but shortly after birth Nathan was diagnosed with spina bifida, a serious defect of the spinal cord his mother was told. "He will be mentally retarded, he'll never walk, he'll never talk, you can put him in a home if you like is what they said." Tamara Gutierrez was pretty determined to prove them wrong.
Nathan had plans and was determined to see them through. His love of sports especially basketball saw no boundaries. He played with the Rolling Chariots and coached high school and seventh grade teams to championships. But, in the summer of 2006 Nathan suffered renal failure and in days, was told he needed a kidney transplant, with a difficult medical history the possibility for that unique donor was challenging.
So Nathan took to the Internet. It was cyberspace that brought Nathan to Cedars Sinai Medical Center where a world renowned physician in the field of kidney transplantation gave this kid from Bakersfield a new lease on life. "What we have is a program called tip the transplant immunotherapy program and in that program we deal with people who have incompatibilites with antibodies corssmatch positives and abo incompatible the blood group incompatibility." Dr. Stanley Jordan and the team at Cedars Sinai Medical Center would make transplantation possible by taking an incompatible kidney and making it compatible by cleansing Nathan's blood and adding modified antibodies that blocks the ability to attack the transplanted organ. All he needed was a donor and his father didn't think twice about this gift. Back in March 2009 Michael Guttierrez gave his kidney to his son. Together they continue with the follow up needed to ensure Nathan's quality of life without dialysis.
As for Nathan he is now working to bring awareness to the breakthrough technology available to patients like him at Cedar Sinai's Kidney Transplant Center. A new purpose for a young man given a second chance. If you would like more information immunotherapy program or Dr. Stanley Jordan just log on to www. cedars-sinai.edu/12391.html
or Nathan Gutierrez's website at http://ABOKidneytransplant.com or cotafor nathanmichaelg.com
