JENNA FRANKS

GOOD NEWS! Jenna received a kidney from a living donor via a paired donation on July 26, 2017. Both Jenna and man who donated on her behalf are doing well. Congratulations, Jenna!

Jenna, 26, is an artist, loves music, is a fan of comic book conventions, and has been writing stories since she was a little girl. 

A rare urological defect destroyed Jenna's kidneys when she was young. She began dialysis as a senior in high school and continued for more than 3 years until she received a kidney transplant at age 20. Now, 5 1/2 years later, that kidney is failing, and Jenna will have to start dialysis again soon. She is on the waiting list for a deceased-donor kidney, but because she lives in the Los Angeles area, the wait is unusually long . . . an average of 10 years for her blood type.

Finding a match for Jenna is especially difficult because of her previous transplant: When a person has had a transplant, the body reacts by developing antibodies (proteins that fight infection). The antibodies sensitize the patient against many potential donors--making it difficult to find a match. Because this is the case with Jenna, it is necessary to find a pool of eligible living donors to increase the odds of finding a match. 

Jenna has blood type O, but even if a willing donor does not match her, she can still receive a kidney through paired donation, which is a “swap” between two incompatible couples. By donating a kidney to another patient on Jenna’s behalf, that donor allows Jenna in turn to receive the other patient’s donor’s kidney. (See paired donation for a more complete explanation.)

Although Jenna lives in California, her donor can live in any state, and all donor medical costs are covered by her insurance.

For more information about being tested to see if you are a match for Jenna, please call Ashley, the Living Donor Intake Specialist, at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California: (858) 554-4363. Tell Ashley that you are calling with regard to Jenna Franks

You can learn more about Jenna by clicking on her video, "Are You My Type?," directly below or follow her journey by going to her page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WantedKidneyDonor. In addition, if you would like to contact Jenna personally, you may send an e-mail to kidney4jenna@yahoo.com.

                                                                                    Thank you!

Jenna's Video: Are You My Type?

10/21/12