Bryan Dowdle, a 33-year-old Belgrade resident, is seeking a living donor kidney transplant. Born with kidney failure, Dowdle spent his first few years on dialysis—treatment that artificially filters blood to remove excess fluid, waste, and toxins when kidneys cannot function properly. His mother, Shelly Dowdle, made the decision to donate one of her kidneys to him when he was four years old. Both Dowdles are blood type “O,” which approximately 45% of Caucasians are, according to American Red Cross Blood Services.
Shelly Dowdle described the original surgery as a significant undertaking. “At the time, if you donated to a child, they did an open incision. They didn’t do it laparoscopically.” She has a 13-inch incision from the surgery. The two had their surgeries done at UCLA Medical Center. There are no kidney transplant centers in Montana, so the nearest facilities are in Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, or Spokane.
According to the American Kidney Fund, more than one hundred thousand people are on the “national transplant waiting list for a deceased donor kidney,” and Dowdle is among them. “His transplant kidney has failed,” his mother said. “And, we were told he could be waiting for like eight or nine years.” Now, they’re looking for a living donor kidney transplant instead. According to the National Institutes of Health, a donated living kidney has a better life span than a deceased one, and these surgeries can be arranged and pre-scheduled rather than waiting on a list for years. Shelly Dowdle expressed what it would mean if someone decided to be their donor: “It would be a miracle. If we could find someone to donate now before he gets sick, I hopefully won’t have to say goodbye to him.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kbzk.com/news/local-news/local-belgrade-family-in-need-of-a-living-donor-kidney