Have a Heart, Donate a Kidney or $

The whimsical title for this project may seem odd given the seriousness of the mission, but if you know Colin Hogan, you’ll understand that even the most difficult battles can be fought with a smile on your face.



A bit of history

     Colin’s first health battle was fought 26 years ago when, at the age of three, he was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma form of childhood cancer.  With few options and given only a 10% chance of survival, Colin was placed into an experimental treatment protocol that included an autologous (meaning he donated his own) bone marrow transplant.  While his bone marrow was shipped from Michigan to Florida to undergo the experimental ‘cleansing’ process, Colin had to endure a series of chemo and radiation treatments that pushed him to the brink of death.


     Following the reinfusion of his cleansed marrow, friends and family waited anxiously for his key blood counts to rise.  Hours, then days passed and several blood transfusions were necessary to keep him alive.  Yet, as sick as he was, Colin managed to keep smiling.  Well…most of the time…


     While he survived the childhood cancer, side effects from the treatments and subsequent new cancers have been part of Colin’s life ever since.  You can check out the historical timeline of his various health issues below.

Colin has a loving and caring family that has helped him fight through each battle.  And, most of the time, he’s continued smiling.  But now he faces a new health nemesis and it’s one that he cannot defeat without your help.




Fast forward

     Determined to pursue a career in healthcare industry, Colin became a phlebotomist and worked in a hospital lab for two years.  He then moved to the west coast to study surgical technology.  Following his 2012 graduation from studies and internships in California, Colin returned to Michigan to start his career as a surgical technologist.


     Having been away for a while, he visited his primary care physician for the usual regimen of blood tests.  And it was through subsequent testing that Colin was informed of his latest challenge:  kidney failure.

Already taking more than 10 different drugs every day, Colin’s nephrologist added even more to the list.  And while he was well known at the University of Michigan hospital, Colin was introduced to the Transplant Center staff and began the process of enrolling onto the transplant wait list.  Family and friends were tested with no suitable donors.  And that brings us to where we are today and, hopefully, where you can help.



The first (and most important) way you can help

     Both of Colin’s kidneys are failing, so the simple reality is that he needs a donated kidney.  A major challenge is that there are more than 111,000 other people in our country who are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.  And due to the length of the kidney waiting list and the short supply of deceased donor organs, the waiting period for a deceased donor kidney can be several years.  So for someone like Colin, finding a live donor can significantly decrease the wait time for a transplant.

If you are interested in learning whether you might be a suitable donor, the University of Michigan Transplant Center team can help.  You can learn more about the process by visiting the kidney transplant center online:

http://www.uofmhealth.org/medical-services/transplant/living-and-paired-kidney-donation

And if you’re really serious about helping Colin (or someone else needing a kidney) you can make an appointment to evaluate your ability to donate a kidney calling a patient care representative at 1-800-333-9013.



The second (and still important) way you can help

     Everybody knows that healthcare in the United States is very expensive.  Due to his failing kidneys, Colin is unable to work and, therefore, has very limited income to support himself and pay for his healthcare and medications.

If you would like to help by making a financial donation, you can do so on this website.  Your generosity is a blessing to Colin and is appreciated by him and all of us who love him.

And like all of the transplant recipients in this video (YouTube link below), our goal is to help Colin become the next kidney recipient to say, “Thank you!”:  

https://youtu.be/Y2QACSTXSHw




                                       Colin’s Health History Timeline

Age 3:   Diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma with a 10% survival rate without treatment; received five chemo drugs/tbr/autologous bone marrow transplant


Age 12: Hypertension diagnosis found by diagnosis of left femoral epiphysis {sp}-screw in hip


Age 13: Pair of orthopedic surgeries…growth plate above knee scraped; bone scraped on ring finger

Age 16: Surgical removal of abdominal benign growth; surgical removal of 5 inches of small bowel; diagnosis of juvenile polyposis requiring biannual removal of polyps

Age 20: Diagnosis of Type II diabetes

Age 21: Diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma on right kidney; partial nephrectomy


Age 22: Partial thyroidectomy; para-thyroid removed


Age 27: Diagnosed with Stage IV renal failure; surgical removal of second parathyroid

Age 28: Eligible for kidney transplant

Age 29: Cataract removal, both eyes; diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma on left kidney