Personal Stories

Mark's Story

On The Transplant Waiting List

Mauldin

Mark got very sick in September of 2007 and, after spending a month in the hospital, was diagnosed with a rare anti-body disease. His kidneys had quit functioning and this meant he had to go on dialysis to live. He goes to a dialysis clinic three times a week. Mark states, "The treatments last four hours; however the complete ordeal takes most of the day. Side effects from dialysis change daily: nausea, body aches, headaches, fatigue, sleepiness and low blood pressure that can cause blackouts, just to name a few." Now, over a year after he first got sick, he hopes to get off dialysis by getting a new kidney. Mark is currently on the transplant waiting list at MUSC.