HEALTH
Good to know
Five inspiring kidney donations From a wife to her husband
NEW SENSOR COULD IMPROVE DIABETES CARE
The Rev. Dr. David Tanyhill’s loss of kidney function was diagnosed after he told his doctor that his daily five-mile jogs had become too difficult. Diabetes and high blood pressure had caused damage, and he was put on the transplant list. He had near matches with several cadaver kidneys; four relatives and a friend were tested but could not donate. After these options failed, his wife, Laura, insisted that she be tested. She was a match.
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ome Central New Yorkers with and without diabetes participated in a study of a painfree glucose sensor that’s in development, called Biologue®. The device, the size of a round pill box, would eliminate the repeated finger sticks that are required to test blood sugars multiple times a day in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
“I am forever grateful to my loving wife,” says Tanyhill. “She gave me the gift of life.”
From a friend to her friend’s son “I’ll never forget the day Tyler’s mom told me his kidneys were failing, says Rita Walldroff of Lafargeville. “It was not a quick decision, but after his family members were not matches, I started the process of testing to become a kidney donor for Tyler.” Tyler Reome, now 18, started dialysis on his 14th birthday and remembers, “I felt better the very first day with my new kidney.”
Biologue is an electrochemical biosensor that measures glucose within the interstitial fluid just below the surface of the skin. It transmits that data wirelessly to a hand-held monitor. It has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but initial results are encouraging, says Ruth Weinstock MD, PhD, medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center at Upstate and the lead investigator for the study, paid for in part by the National Institutes of Health.
Reome’s kidney problems surfaced during adolescence, with symptoms of muscle and bone weakness, dry skin, bad breath, nausea and fatigue.
From a daughter-in-law to “Dad” Joe Corapi of Syracuse had scar tissue in his kidneys. His daughter-in-law, Michelle Corapi, remembers: “We all started donor testing as soon as we learned Dad needed a kidney. High blood pressure ruled out my husband, but my sister-in-law and I were matches.” When Corapi’s condition worsened, Michelle was the best choice as a donor. Today, both family members are doing well. Corapi reports that he is able to play golf, enjoy his family and that he “feels good every day.”
The company that makes Biologue, Ultradian Diagnostics in Rensselaer, wants to make it smaller and flexible, like a Band-Aid, which could be worn for days without recalibration. To do that, the company is collaborating with the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center in Canandaigua, a microsystems lab that specializes in micro electromechanical systems, or MEMS. Upstate conducted the first testing of this device in humans.
From a grandma to her grandson Hunter Cardinale, 9, was born with underdeveloped kidneys. He was on daily dialysis — and the organ donor list— since age 7. Hunter’s grandmother, Sandy Rice, donated her kidney to him on Dec. 1. Both recovered well, but his grandmother knew the risks. “No matter what had happened,” says Rice, “by giving him my kidney, I knew I had done everything to help him and give him more time.” Today, Hunter is a busy 5th grader at Cato-Meridian Middle School who enjoys playing with Sonic, the hedgehog.
From one firefighter to another
Weinstock was impressed with the accuracy of the sensor, compared with continuous glucose monitoring devices already on the market. “We believe this new technology could greatly benefit patients with diabetes and move us forward in the development of the artificial pancreas.”
George Turner of Antwerp was on dialysis after losing his kidneys to polycystic kidney disease. At a volunteer firefighters’ awards dinner, Erin Dulmage asked him about dialysis and how to get tested as a kidney donor. “The day she told me she was a match, we just sat and cried,” says Turner. Two years after donating her kidney, Dulmage gave birth to her son, Jakob, now 3. Turner is adopting a son of his own. “Erin gave me the gift of life,” he says. “Now I’m giving the gift of a good life to a child.” ●
Transplant surgeons Amy Friedman MD and Dilip Kittur MD performed these kidney removals and transplants. For information on becoming a donor, talk with the person in need and then contact the Upstate Transplant Program at 315.464.5413.
Knowing changes everything.SM
fall 2012
The pancreas is the organ that produces the hormone insulin, which helps the body manage blood sugar.
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