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| Newcastle mother appeals on Twitter for new kidney | Newcastle mother appeals on Twitter for new kidney |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A mother has issued an urgent appeal on Twitter for a life-saving kidney. | A mother has issued an urgent appeal on Twitter for a life-saving kidney. |
| Joanne D'Onofrio, 46, from Newcastle, is currently on dialysis in the city's Freeman Hospital after falling seriously ill. | |
| At 18 she suffered kidney failure and had her first transplant a year later in 1991, but her body is now attacking the donor kidney. | At 18 she suffered kidney failure and had her first transplant a year later in 1991, but her body is now attacking the donor kidney. |
| Almost 27,000 people have re-tweeted her appeal. She told BBC Newcastle she was "overwhelmed" by the response. | Almost 27,000 people have re-tweeted her appeal. She told BBC Newcastle she was "overwhelmed" by the response. |
| She said: "Even if I cant find a kidney, people could find them for other people. | She said: "Even if I cant find a kidney, people could find them for other people. |
| "There could be a lot more people get transplants just because of that one tweet." | "There could be a lot more people get transplants just because of that one tweet." |
| Ms D'Onofrio, whose two children are in their early 20s, said she was "really awkward" as she needed a living donor with O positive blood and matching tissue types. | |
| 'Desperate' | 'Desperate' |
| She said a "cadaver kidney" would not work due to her high antibody count which would reject such an organ. | She said a "cadaver kidney" would not work due to her high antibody count which would reject such an organ. |
| She underwent surgery on Thursday morning to have a new dialysis line fitted to her lumbar vein, but if that fails "that would be it". | She underwent surgery on Thursday morning to have a new dialysis line fitted to her lumbar vein, but if that fails "that would be it". |
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| In her tweet, she said: "I'm in desperate need of a kidney transplant and need a matching live donor. | In her tweet, she said: "I'm in desperate need of a kidney transplant and need a matching live donor. |
| "I'm actually at the end of the road now, so need one pretty quickly to save my life." | "I'm actually at the end of the road now, so need one pretty quickly to save my life." |
| 'Best chance' | |
| There were 940 adult living-donor kidney transplants in the UK in 2017/18, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). | |
| Of those, 85 were altruistic - meaning kidneys were donated voluntarily to a stranger. | |
| A spokeswoman said: "For suitable patients, transplantation is normally the best treatment for end-stage kidney disease compared with dialysis. | |
| "A transplant from a living kidney donor is often the best chance of a successful transplant." | |
| Living kidney transplants have been performed in the UK since 1960 and there are currently 6,119 people on the transplant waiting list, including 4,828 people waiting for a kidney. |