A life-saving need
Family, friends search for kidney donor for Pennridge grad
HILLTOWN >> Matthew David, 19, of Hilltown was not expected to live past infancy. Born prematurely at just 30 weeks, his body had not fully developed and was in renal failure within his first few days of life.
“Matthew was read his last rites as my infant son,” said his mother, Lorna David. “But somehow he survived and I know there’s a reason he’s still here.”
Not only did his body need to begin to pass fluids, he also needed a kidney. After being transported to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), it was discovered that his mother was a match for a kidney transplant. Matthew became the youngest kidney transplant recipient at CHOP on April 12, 2000. The transplant was a huge success, with both donor and recipient making a full recovery.
“As a mother, you will do anything for your child. I never gave it a second thought even as they were wheeling us down to sur-
gery,” said Lorna of that scary time in their lives.
Lorna’s decision to become a living donor for her son has given him 19 more years than doctor’s initially believed he would have. Nineteen years for the Pennridge High School graduate and National Honor Society member to be a regular kid, one who enjoys comic books, video games, music and volunteering at the local dog rescue.
Unfortunately, Matthew is now in the later stages of chronic kidney failure, a sad but real consequence for organ recipients and is once again in need of a new kidney.
“It is so hard to get him to eat and drink enough every day as all food tastes like metal and he can get very dehydrated. He takes 30 pills twice a day. I am so proud of him going to community college every day to study digital and graphic arts, but he is exhausted and has to cut back,” said Lorna.
Despite the struggles he faces daily, Matthew is hopeful he will receive a new kidney. “An illness is too demanding without hope,” he says.
According to the American Kidney Fund, more people are waiting for a Matthew David is a community college student studying digital and graphic arts. He is also in the later stages of chronic kidney failure, and his family and friends are seeking a donor for him.
kidney than for all other organs combined, a total of nearly 100,000 people.
Matthew, who has been on the official donor list since he was 18, has a threeto five-year wait for his age category.
If a kidney donor has two healthy kidneys and is a blood type match, they may be able to donate one of theirs to enhance or save someone else’s life. Living donors immediately increase the existing organ supply and enable more patients to receive transplants.
“We’re in one giant community and we’re here to take care of each other and you need to dig deep down and decide what your purpose is on this earth. Maybe this is your purpose. I know it’s given me more purpose in life,” said Jason Nothdurft, who donated a kidney to his friend’s father (watch the video from the National Kidney Foundation on YouTube).
“If I find a donor I will be forever grateful to that unselfish person who gave me the precious gift of life,” said Matthew, adding that it would allow him to be like a normal 19-year-old again.
Finding a living donor for Matthew “would mean everything to me,” says Lorna. “He is the sweetest young man I know. If I had another kidney, I would give him mine without a second thought. He deserves a second chance at life.”
Matthew’s family and friends are actively working to find a donor for him (he needs a blood type O kidney donor — positive or negative), in addition to raising awareness about kidney donations.