On Assignment for Keck Medicine Magazine of the University of Southern California and The Weekly, published by USC Health Sciences Public Relations. Both articles featured kidney transplant patient, David Rosenbloom, whom I interviewed on campus and at the book signing of his memoir, Becoming Me, which details his experience with kidney disease and transplantation.
Read Keck Magazine article below, view on issuu.com (page 17) or request PDF.
Keck Medicine Magazine
Kidney transplant patient shares his new lease on life
By Nikolas Charles
Summer 2010
David Rosenbloom may only weight 135 pounds, but he possesses a special kind of strength. The 5' 9" 64-year-old is filled with determination and a strong will to live. After developing end-stage renal disease in 2002 at the age of 56, Rosenbloom joined the ranks of dialysis patients whose bodies and lives are tethered to a machine.
"My kidneys were performing at less than 10 percent capacity," says Rosenbloom, who lives in Boyle Heights. "Actually, I should say kidney singular because it turns out that I knly had one functioning kidney my whole life... So, my only kidney stopped working."
Rosenbloom's progression from illness to dialysis happened very quickly. "I went in to see my primary care doctor, he sent me to a nephrologist, and in three weeks I was on dialysis," he says.
After six years of both clinic and home hemodialysis, Rosenbloom was matched with a donated kidney and received a transplant at USC University Hospital in August 2008.
Rosenbloom's experiences with kidney disease, transplant and recovery changed his life and his career. A custom furniture designer prior to surgery, Rosenbloom became involved in working as a volunteer kidney patient consultant at USC to educate patients on the importance of staying compliant after surgery.
"Being compliant means listening to the doctors and educating yourslef about kidney disease so you can regain control of your life," he says.
Rosenbloom started mentoring patients informally because he was was of the first people in the area to use a home hemodialysis system. "I was approached by USC about a year and a half ago when they wanted to start a mentoring program. I went through a formal mentor training program at the National Institute of Transplantation in Los Angeles."
Rosenbloom recently published his autobiography, Becoming Me, about his life, his seven-year battle with kidney disease, and his successful transplant at USC.
"Having a transplant is the next best thing to having your own healthy kidney," he adds. "If you take care of it, you can live a very normal life."
University of Southern California
The Weekly Magazine
HSC Weekly April 9, 2010
USC transplant patient pens memoir of kidney disease battle
By Nikolas Charles
Kidney transplant patient David Rosenbloom has compare his successful transplant to a gift of 20 years of life.
Rosenbloom, 64, was on dialysis for six years before receiving a transplant at USC University Hospital August 7, 2008. He read from his book, Becoming Me, at Vromans bookstore in Pasadena on February 24.
The inkling I had of writing a memoir came from a very wise psychologist whom I saw when I was dealing with a long term, life-threatening illness, read Rosenbloom from the preface of his book. Then the gift of renewed life came unexpectedly. The reaction from those I respect was ‘you should write a book about your experience.’ I said ‘who who read it?’ And every one of them answered ‘I would.’
In his book, the former corporate public relations manager and self-taught custom furniture designer details the years he spent battling kidney disease and discuses kidney disease at length. It's like having a part-time job that you hate, said Rosenbloom and the dialysis diet is awful.
What's the diet? asked someone in the audience.
It's basically, No! he said, naming everything that patients are instructed not to eat. Dialysis is not a picnic. I was feeling tired all the time.
Reevah Simon, 71, from Los Angeles, asked, What's it like for you now?
Rosenbloom was upbeat about his current health. He said, I take very powerful drugs, which lower my immune system. It's a constant balancing act, but I don't think about what could happen. When something happens, I deal with it. There are too many other things that I want to do with my life. After having the transplant, it's like somebody gave me back 20 years.
He credits his surgeon, Maria Stapfer, his transplant coordinator, Randall Heyn-Lamb, his nephrologist, Hosameidin H. Madkour, and others on the medical staff at USC for his recovery.
Simon said she came to the reading because she has end-stage renal disease and wanted to hear from another patient. Unitl now. I've only heard about it from doctors and nurses. It was helpful to hear him speak today.
After the reading, Donald Larsen, medical director of the Doctors of USC and chief medical officer at USC Universoty Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, shared his thoughts about Rosenbloom. I thought he had an incredible perspective. And, he's very intelligent and in-touch with his emotions as well.
Karen Chapman, director of Risk Management for the USC hospitals, also attended the reading and said he's a wise consumer of health care.
Rosenbloom now lectures second-year medical students and is working as a volunteer kidney patient consultant and mentor at USC to make patients aware of dialysis options and the importance of staying compliant after transplant surgery.
Being compliant means listening to the doctors and educating yourself about kidney disease, so you can gain control of your life, he said. That means taking your medication, staying on a diet and exercising while you're on dialysis, and then after your transplant. It's vital that you take the prescribed anti-rejection drugs or you can end up losing the kidney you may have waited years to receive.