Carl Brown is a father, brother, and uncle in need of a kidney.
Read his story below.
Hello Family and Friends,
I am asking for your help. Recently I spoke with my kidney doctor, and my kidneys have weakened. I have Membranous Nephropathy (MN), and you can see the “Education” tab for a description. The good news is that I am in remission.
However, I have sustained permanent damage to my kidneys and I will need a kidney transplant. I am on kidney transplant lists and I am starting a campaign to find a living kidney donor.
I am asking for your help in three ways:
Knowledge — Enhance your own knowledge of kidney disease.
Questionnaire — Consider completing the Kidney Donor Questionnaire.
Collaboration — Join my campaign.
Knowledge.
Your health is Power. Please get your annual check up with full blood work or Complete Blood Count (CBC). CBC is a blood test used to evaluate your overall health and detects a wide range of disorders, including anemia, an infection, and other disorders. Your annual check up should also include kidney function tests, that show how your kidneys are working.
My story.
Several years ago, my family doctor saw that anemia kept popping up in my blood work. He said he did not know why; however, he wanted to better understand it. Being a doctor who knows the African American community, he tested my heart, colon, prostate and ordered a full blood work including a CBC.
Why did prior doctors say my blood work was okay?
He said they did not give you a full blood panel; perhaps it was related to insurance coverage. You can guess that I did not like that answer. After several blood tests, my doctor referred me to a kidney specialist.
A biopsy conclusion was MN. The anemia was related to an iron issue. I now work with a kidney specialist at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). We are proactive in both areas. Your health is power. Please get an annual checkup with full blood work.
