SHARING THE ULTIMATE GIFT OF LOVE!

DRISCOLL’S PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANT SERVICES
PERFORMS 1st KIDNEY TRANSPLANT IN SOUTH TEXAS!

Local teen receives donated kidney from his brother on Valentine’s Day

PLEASE NOTE:
Press Conference
Thursday, February 15, 2006 ? 12:30pm
Nephrology Clinic Lobby
Driscoll Children’s Hospital
(please call for directions)

(Corpus Christi, TX) Each year, more than 4,000 Texans wait for available donor kidneys, and about 1% - 2% of those are children. Driscoll Children’s Hospital is proud to combat those statistics and announce the details of the first kidney transplant in South Texas taking place on one of the most loving days of the year, February 14, 2007. A 19-year-old from Portland, Texas, receives the first kidney transplant ever in South Texas on Valentine’s Day from a living donor, his 26-year-old brother. The community, hospital’s staff, and young patients on Driscoll’s kidney transplant waiting list have anxiously awaited this announcement.

Driscoll’s pediatric transplant and surgical services program is the first of its kind available to young patients throughout Corpus Christi and Nueces County area, as well as Victoria, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley offering comprehensive, state-of-the-art, pediatric kidney care. South Texas children with end-stage-renal disease are now able to receive quality nephrology and surgical care closer to home.

“Clara Driscoll was known for her pioneering spirit,” says Rick Merrill, C.E.O. and President of Driscoll Children’s Hospital. “Driscoll Children’s Hospital has a tradition of being first, and we’re proud to be the first to offer transplants for children throughout all of South Texas.”

Kidneys & Transplants
For being so tiny, a child's kidneys are mighty organs. They are responsible for removing wastes and excess water from the blood; regulating blood pressure, sodium, and potassium levels; and making hormones responsible for growth and red blood cells. Conditions such as birth defects and other hereditary diseases can cause the kidneys to stop working.

Transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease. But often a child must be on dialysis several days a week, a man-made method of filtering the blood, until a compatible donor becomes available. Now, with on-site pediatric dialysis (established March 2005), the addition of a pediatric transplant surgeon (July 2005), and two additional pediatric nephrologists (July 2006) Driscoll offers a full circle of care for children with end-stage renal disease.

Children and their families will benefit from The Driscoll Kidney Transplant Center’s specialized care provided by an experienced team led by pediatric transplant surgeons and pediatric nephrologists (kidney doctors), recognized as some of the best in Texas. In addition, pediatric sub-specialists, nurses, dieticians, social workers, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals round out the team - all specially trained in working exclusively with children. Driscoll’s staff have assisted, counseled, and educated families through dialysis, pre- and post-operative requirements, and dietary changes so that they may successfully manage their child's health and emotional needs.

Driscoll’s kidney transplant program and staff is dedicated to improving the quality of life of children who need dialysis until they are able to receive a transplant. From diagnosis and pre-transplant testing and counseling to transplant surgery and recovery … Driscoll cares for young patients while living with their donor kidney well into adulthood.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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