GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Trinity Health Grand Rapids recently celebrated its 3,000th kidney transplant.
On February 10, 2024, 40-year-old Jennifer Lamange from Grand Rapids received the kidney. She is now recovering and feeling well, said the hospital's communication team.
The 3,000 milestone is a big deal for the hospital. Trinity Health Grand Rapids is the only adult kidney transplant center in West Michigan.
"It's 3,000 lives for patients here in West Michigan that have been transformed and people who are getting a second chance at life because they were able to get a life-saving kidney transplant," said Jill McNamara, transplant services liaison for Trinity Health Grand Rapids.
The first kidney transplant at Trinity Health Grand Rapids was in 1973. They now typically do between 90 and 100 kidney transplants a year.
"We're stoked," said McNamara about the milestone. "It's huge."
In 2022, Trinity Health Grand Rapids partnered with the National Kidney Registry. It's the only adult transplant center in the state to do so.
The National Kidney Registry has the largest living donor pool, making it more likely for patients to find a match. McNamara said about a third of the transplants done in Grand Rapids are from living donors.
Someone with end-stage renal disease has two major options: transplant or dialysis.
"Dialysis works for many patients, but the long term effects of dialysis are pretty hard on the body," said McNamara. "It's not a natural process. So, patients who end up with kidney transplants do tend to live longer and have better health outcomes than patients who are on long term dialysis."
According to the Kidney Fund, more than 106,000 people are waiting for a transplant organ in the Untied States. 87% of those are waiting for a kidney.
Trinity Health said more than 2,400 people in Michigan are waiting for an organ transplant, 82% of those for a kidney.
You can learn more about registering about organ donation through Gift of Life Michigan.
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