New Rochelle mom Paola Riso, and her husband, New Rochelle Firefighter Louis Riso, have put out a call to all Good Samaritans in Westchester to help her find a kidney donor. The two have a newborn baby, just three months old.
We spoke with Louis Riso who told us, “My wife was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSG) when she was 15. It was relativity under control for around 10 years but became progressively worse in her mid 20s. Paola’s kidney function took a nose dive when she became pregnant last year. She was immediately categorized as high risk and ultimately had to have an emergency c-section on June 27th due to having a extreme preeclampsia and high risk for stroke.
“Our child was born a month and a half early and spent that time in the NICU. Post pregnancy doctor visits revealed how bad her kidney has become and Paola is a few weeks out from dialysis. With medicine and a strict diet we are doing our best to keep her off but it is inevitable. We are working with Colombia Presbyterian and are in great hands hoping that we can find a live donor. Paola and I are very great full for the help!”
According to the National Foundation for Transplants, living kidney donors have a 97% success rate one year after a transplant. Visit transplants.org for more information if you are interested.
You can also donate your organs after your death. Unfortunately only 3 in 1,000 people actually become donors even though 165 million are registered. Matching possible donors with patients can also be examined in the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). The OPTN is a national computer system. It puts patients in order on the waiting list and matches them to donors.
Also visit https://columbiasurgery.org/kidney-transplant/becoming-kidney-donor to find out more.
Please consider helping this family by contacting LouisJRiso@gmail.com or Yonkers times at news@yonkerstimes.com.
