Category Archives: organ donation/transplant

Chaplain donates a kidney to a dying refugee

Posted on March 5, 2020 by

  BY JIM HOWE It was a note in a church bulletin that led an Upstate chaplain to donate one of her kidneys to a Bhutanese refugee. The Rev. Susan Joy Huizenga, the palliative care chaplain at Upstate since August … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, international health care, kidney/renal/nephrology, organ donation/transplant, patient story, spiritual care, surgery

Firefighters share an extra bond: Kidney donor was glad to help his longtime friend

Posted on March 3, 2020 by

BY JIM HOWE It’s a dramatic story of sickness, friendship, sacrifice and the wonders of modern medicine. A retired firefighter with failing kidneys does not want to live on dialysis, so he goes on the waiting list for a kidney … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, kidney/renal/nephrology, organ donation/transplant, patient story, surgery | Tagged

1 weekend sees 4 organ donors improve lives of 12 people

Posted on July 30, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH One busy weekend in April saw the Upstate transplant team caring for four patients who made the decision to donate their organs upon death. In all, 12 people received lifesaving organ transplants thanks to the four donors. Each of the … Continue reading →

Posted in health care, kidney/renal/nephrology, organ donation/transplant, surgery | Tagged , , , ,

Riding again: He bicycles despite kidney transplant, cancer diagnosis

Posted on March 9, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH Chris Atwood of Moravia has quite a few medical issues for a man of 59, but they don’t rattle him. “I think that fixating and worrying about your health is bad for your health,” he says. Atwood … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, kidney/renal/nephrology, organ donation/transplant

Their team of doctors offered expertise — and hope

Posted on November 27, 2017 by

BY AMBER SMITH Orlando Barrera worked his whole life in construction. He was strong and relatively healthy – until May 2015, when stomach pains forced him to seek medical care. The Syracuse man underwent emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder. … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, digestive/gastrointestinal, health care, infectious disease, liver/ gallbladder/ pancreas, organ donation/transplant, surgery | Tagged , , , , ,

Upstate news you may have missed

Posted on March 29, 2017 by

Researcher seeks drug to fight painful condition An Upstate researcher is testing drugs to treat shingles, a painful skin rash caused by the varicella zoster virus. Jennifer Moffat, PhD, is working with a Connecticut company called NanoViricides to find an … Continue reading →

Posted in bones/joints/orthopedics, brain/neurology, cancer, health care, infectious disease, kidney/renal/nephrology, organ donation/transplant, research, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Got a couple hours to help save lives? Donate platelets

Posted on January 6, 2017 by

BY SUSAN KEETER “What if you could do one thing on Monday that might save a cancer patient’s life on Wednesday?” That’s the message from a Red Cross video encouraging platelet donation. I’ve donated blood since high school but learned about … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, community, health care, illness, organ donation/transplant, patient story, surgery, technology, volunteers | Tagged , , , ,

Renewed lives: Pancreas transplants mean patients with diabetes can skip insulin injections

Posted on October 20, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH Patrick Nolan, 52, remembers spending his 11th birthday at Upstate University Hospital with a new diagnosis of diabetes. The Syracuse native lived with the disease for 41 years, routinely checking his blood sugar and injecting insulin up … Continue reading →

Posted in diabetes/endocrine/metabolism, health care, HealthLink on Air, illness, kidney/renal/nephrology, liver/ gallbladder/ pancreas, organ donation/transplant, pancreas/liver/gallbladder/bile ducts, patient story, surgery | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

A kidney unites them: Facebook connects Upstate nurse with woman needing a kidney transplant

Posted on October 10, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH As Jody Adams scrolled through Facebook in January, one post stuck with her. It was written from the point of view of a baby boy named Carter, seeking someone to donate a kidney to his ailing mother. … Continue reading →

Posted in death/dying, diabetes/endocrine/metabolism, health care, HealthLink on Air, illness, kidney/renal/nephrology, nursing, organ donation/transplant, patient story, surgery, volunteers | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

13 things I learned from the fall issue of Upstate Health

Posted on September 29, 2016 by

The pages of the fall 2016 Upstate Health magazine are loaded with important information and a few surprises. If you’re not on our mailing list, you should be. Send an email with your name and mailing address to magazine@upstate.edu with “Upstate … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, adolescents, aging/geriatrics, Alzheimer's/dementia, brain/neurology, digestive/gastrointestinal, emergency medicine/trauma, health care, organ donation/transplant, poison center/toxicology, public health, stroke, technology