Delray doctor resorts to Facebook in kidney search
Stuart Himmelstein has spent four years on wait list for vital organ.
Dr. Stuart Himmelstein has spent the past four years anxiously waiting for a much-needed kidney, but like nearly 120,000 Americans on a transplant list, he’s waiting on a miracle.
S o Hi mmel s t e i n , a D e l r ay Beach internist diagnosed with kidney disease, is trying another approach for a transplant — Facebook.
Himmelstein, a Lake Worth resident and the former president of the Palm Beach County Medical Society, shared his story on social media in a plea for a donor.
“If I c an get a kidney transplant,” Himmelstein, 58, says in a Facebook video that’s been viewed thousands of times, “that will help me live a healthier life and continue doing what I love, practicing medicine for my patients.”
People with one kidney often have few or no health problems a nd nor mal l i f e expec t a nc y, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Most people can live with no kidneys, but require dialysis, a treatment Himmelstein is under- going.
Strangers reach out
Himmelstein was diagnosed in 2012 with tuberous sclerosis complex, a genetic disorder that caused his kidneys to fail. He was placed on the deceased-donor kidney transplant list, but that could mean a seven-year wait for a donation.
But within six months of creating his Facebook page, “New Kidney for Stu,” Himmelstein was contacted by several strangers across the globe who offered to donate.
“When I started my Facebook