Case of a kidney transplant recipient who found a sense of purpose in life

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  • 腎移植レシピエントが見つけた生きがい

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<p>We report the case of a kidney transplant recipient who was himself a nephrologist and first author of this report, and who found a sense of purpose in life despite his disease. At age 7, the patient was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease resulting from vesicoureteral reflux. After undergoing surgery, he had to maintain a strict diet along with medication to control disease progression. Two years after becoming a licensed nephrologist, he received a living donor kidney transplantation from his mother. He used his position as a nephrologist and a kidney transplant recipient to educate medical and nursing students on organ donations and transplantations and to promote deceased organ donations. However, despite his successes the patient suffered psychological issues throughout his life because of his disease. First, he experienced depression from learning the poor prognosis of chronic kidney disease patients. Second, he was bothered by fears of having to undergo dialysis therapy and dying. Third, he struggled with guilt after his successful kidney transplantation, knowing about the many dialysis patients who were forced to wait long periods for donor organs. Nevertheless, he was eventually able to accept his disease and discovered a sense of purpose in life by promoting deceased organ donations. Our observations suggest the importance of treating patients with chronic kidney disease not only physically, but also by caring for them psychologically.</p>

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