NY TIMES ARTICLE TODAY ....MORE HIV+ TRANSPLANTS AHEAD?

In the New York Times today under the health section, Pam Belluck wrote an article entitled a "New push to let HIV-positive patients except organs that are infected".

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart having been part of clinical trial at Mount Sinai Medical Center to change the protocol that allows HIV+ patients the ability to receive transplants at all.

Any of you who are reading this know that this blog started out detailing my journey from kidney failure for transplantation and the hurdles that I had to jump over to be a healthy individual living with HIV.

It hasn't been easy, and it was a constant fight. There are some that don't agree with my BLOG and have even reported me to Facebook as being "spammy or abusive" so I can no longer "share" my posts.

There are still difficulties with HIV+ transplantation, but two years and 10 months later I stand as a symbol of how can be when it goes right.

As I stated in my first blog in November 2010, sometimes it's a battle to stay alive while we wait for the people who make the decisions to say, "Hey....I think we can!" Well, much like my journey, it appears that the medical community is deciding to take the next step and I applaud them for that. Previously when someone died of complications due to HIV, whether they were an organ donor or not, the organs were not donated. Nor could an HIV+ person donate an organ to a friend,partner or loved one because of their status. This has eliminated the choice, which I believe to be up to the individual, for hundreds of thousands of men, women and children living with HIV and other serious illness.

In 1988 when many of us infected with HIV were dropping dead from what was then termed G.R. I. D., ( Gay related immuno deficiency, our government passed a law that effectively banned anyone who was HIV+ from donating there organs. Times have change since 1988. This law however has not. There are groups and institutions begining to see that this law needs to be lifted if we are to make very viable advances in those living with HIV.

It is very encouraging that the medical community is moving on and forward.  I may need another transplant in the future and if this trial is a success.......maybe the list won't be 7-10 years like it has been.


Please feel free to read the article. It is a great read and thank Pam.....I appreciate it!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/us/11hiv.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=New%20push%20to%20let&st=cse

Be well, and never give up hope!

Red