David Tripp, 59, an attorney in northern Virginia, suffered kidney damage after cancer treatment in 2012. He was turned down by two clinics for a kidney transplant because doctors thought anti-rejection medication could cause the cancer to recur. But a chance meeting between his sister, Mara, and a childhood classmate of his, Ron Paul, led him to a successful transplant.
The connection of a lifetime
Ron, a two-time kidney transplant recipient and the Chairman/CEO of EagleBank, learned of David’s plight. He introduced David to J. Keith Melancon, MD, FACS, Chief of the GW Transplant Institute, who believed he could help David. Based on donor transplant allocation protocols, David was placed higher on the deceased donor waiting list. If his cancer recurred, he could lose his chance at a transplant.
On September 28, 2015, David received the call that would change his life forever. A friend of Mara’s lost her son to an accident, and she asked David if he would like one of her son’s kidneys. “I was speechless, yet filled with gratitude,” says David. “She was in the midst of unspeakable grief, and she was thinking of the good that could come of her loss.”
The first ABO-incompatible transplant at GW Hospital
Dr. Melancon found the donor kidney was not compatible with David’s blood type, and a kidney transplant with an incompatible deceased donor had rarely been done. But David was treated with special medication and had a successful transplant in October 2015. “It was one of the first transplants of its kind in the country and the first done here at GW Hospital,” says Dr. Melancon.
“At GW, we tailor our care to the needs of the patient. We follow up frequently, make sure he is doing well and make adjustments as needed,” says Muralidharan Jagadeesan, MD, FACP, FASN, Chairman of Transplant Medicine and the Medical Director of the Kidney Transplant Program. “Many programs may not have taken on a complex case such as David’s, and we are pleased to say that we were able to help him.” Today, David is doing well, is active and is working on regaining his health. “I am so grateful to my donor, Ron Paul and the staff at GW Hospital! Without them, none of this would have been possible,” says David.
Learn more about The GW Transplant Institute