Скачать или смотреть Sharp patient competes in Transplant Games World Cup

It was during his darkest times, waking up for 4:30 am dialysis treatments 3 days each week, that Richi found something that gave him hope. His nephrologist had told him a kidney transplant would erase the need for dialysis and return him to his normal life.

One day while surfing the web during a 4-hour dialysis session, Richi discovered that the Transplant Games, a biannual competition featuring athletes who had received organ transplants, would be adding a soccer World Cup event for the first time.

Richi had a passion for soccer ever since he was a kid and continued to play semi-competitively into adulthood. However, as he reached his late 20’s, he found his energy levels dropping, making it difficult to play. It was frustrating, especially since Richi was a fitness fanatic who did not drink or smoke. Furthermore, his flagging energy began affecting the rest of his life, as he struggled to stay awake past 8 pm most nights.

When he began to lose his vision, as well, Richi went to the emergency room. He was shocked when he received his diagnosis: stage 5 kidney failure. The dialysis sessions started immediately. Because the waitlist to receive a kidney from a deceased donor can last 8-10 years, Dr. Arman Faravardeh, a nephrologist with Sharp Community Medical Group and Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group and Medical Director of the Sharp HealthCare Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center, told Richi his best bet was to seek a family member or friend to be a living donor.

“It was a roller coaster of emotions,” Richi remembers.

Learning about the Transplant Games gave him a goal, which, in turn, gave him hope. And when his brother, Jerry, turned out to be a perfect match, the transplant surgery was scheduled at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Richi says the moment he woke up from the procedure, he could tell he was feeling better — his energy had returned. Less than a year and a half later, he was on a plane to Italy where he accomplished his goal of playing for Team USA at the Transplant Games Soccer World Cup.

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