Kim Dickens & Marion Barry Celebrates the 5th Anniversary of Kidney Transplant with Kidney Donor Dr

WASHINGTON - June 13, 2018 - PRLog -- To kick-off his "Kidney Donor Education Campaign," former Mayor and Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry will be joined by Ms. Kim Dickens (his living kidney donor), Dr. Clive Callender (his transplant surgeon), Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), the National Kidney Foundation and others in the transplant community to participate in an organ donation drive in commemoration of the 5^th anniversary of his kidney transplant.

"Kidney donation saves lives," said Barry.  "I am committed to saving as many lives as possible through education, specifically in the minority community.  I was blessed to have a friend who was a perfect match to donate a kidney, and I want to be a blessing to the thousands of others who are on waiting lists."

Donor registration will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2014 in Howard University Hospital's main lobby, with a morning panel discussion and evening reception to follow in the hospital's Freedman's Hall.

Notable individuals and organizations will be on hand to provide information on registering to become a kidney donor. There will also be a panel discussion on living donation and kidney transplant benefits. Dickens will explain how their lives, and thousands of others in the District and across the nation, have changed as the direct result of organ donation.

Councilmember Barry took up the cause of educating the community about the prevention and treatment of kidney disease and the importance of organ and tissue donation as a personal cause after Dickens, a close friend, saved his life by donating one of her kidneys to him. "I knew organ donation was important, but I didn't really understand just how important the need was until it touched me personally," said the four-term mayor. "I was blessed to have a close friend who was a perfect match and who was generous and selfless enough to donate one of her kidneys to help save my life. We are now joining hands to help raise everyone's awareness of the importance of organ donation."

The surgery was performed on February 20, 2009 at Washington, D.C.'s Howard University Hospital.

"Our focus is on the minority community because this is where there is a critical need for higher awareness and greater participation in kidney disease prevention and organ donation," said Dickens. "Our goal is to help those who are suffering most from kidney disease."

According to the National Kidney Foundation, last year, 4,903 patients died while waiting for a kidney transplant; at least 13 people die every day in the U.S. waiting for a desperately-needed organ transplant; there are currently 118,617 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the U.S., of these, 96,645 await kidney transplants; nearly 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month. According to the George Washington University Kidney Transplant Institute "In the GW Hospital area, there are 1,868 dialysis patients in the District of Columbia … patients are waiting for kidney transplants. In fact, many patients are leaving the Washington, DC area, away from their families and support systems."

For more information about the upcoming kidney drive or the Barry-Dickens Foundation, visit our website or attend the Marion Barry/Kim Dickens Kidney Donor/Recipient Forum in Freedman's Hall at the Howard University Hospital, 2041 Georgia Avenue NW, from 10am to 12 Noon.  Participants will also be able to meet and speak with other donor/recipients, visit information tables, and register for organ and tissue donation from 9am to 4pm in the main lobby of Howard University Hospital.

https://www.facebook.com/kdickensandassociates/