Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
HUMANKIND
Humankind

Grandfather donates kidney, sparks idea for kidney voucher program

Sheeka Sanahori
USA TODAY
Quinn Gerlach, left, plays with his grandfather, Howard Broadman.

LOS ANGELES — Howard Broadman wanted to do something to help his 4-year-old grandson, Quinn Gerlach, who was born with only one kidney that wasn't fully-functioning. Gerlach is too young for a kidney transplant, but at age 64, Broadman knew his window of opportunity was closing. The solution he came up with would inspire a new program being adopted by hospitals across the country.

Broadman told doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center he'd be willing to donate his kidney to a stranger now, if they would find a donor for his grandson in the future should he need it. The hospital agreed. It was the beginning of the hospital's new voucher program for kidney donations.

When a person donates a kidney to someone on the waiting list now, they can elect a person to jump to the top of the waiting list in the future, should they ever need a kidney transplant.

“This is groundbreaking,” said Dr. Jeffrey Veale, a surgeon at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “The demand for a kidney transplant is tremendous, but with this program, I would argue that, for the first time in history, we can actually start reducing the number of people who are on the waiting list.”

Ten other hospitals across the country have also agreed to participate in the program. They are:

  • Emory Transplant Center, Atlanta
  • New York Presbyterian, New York
  • University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md.
  • UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison Medical Center, Madison, Wis.
  • Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
  • University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago
  • Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego
  • Virginia Transplant Center, Richmond, Va.

For more inspiring stories, LIKE the Humankind Facebook page.

Featured Weekly Ad