Danielle are live at the Texas
Medical Center with more on our
special coverage. Hi, guys.
>> Hi, Laurie and I and II know we have deployed our kitchen
we have deployed our kitchen
mobile stage today outside of
this beautiful water while at
the Texas Medical Center.
It’s a hot little steamy, t
it’s a great day to honor our
medical community. It is this
beautiful day. We’re so
honored. So happy. So proud to
say that this is our second
year at TMC.
>> Honoring the courageous
health care workers get a whole
new meaning to the words,
dedication and commitment.
>> That’s right. And today we
have a very special story to
tell you about KPRC. 2 health
reporter Haley Hernandez.
It’s going to share a little
bit about her family’s
experiencing waiting for an organ donor. You know, I could
organ donor. You know, I could
never have predicted this was
going to happen last year when
we were doing health care
heroes. But I have a hero’s
story of my own this year.
I want to thank the heroes at UTMB for getting my dad a
UTMB for getting my dad a
kidney. So we are actually just
a couple months out. We’re in
the recovery phase of all of
the faces of this journey.
This is a new one now and it brings its own challenges.
brings its own challenges.
But just so, you know, I’ve
been able to relate to you
every step of the way during
the pandemic. The tremendous
stress that our families have
been through the long er wait times. It’s all been very hard.
times. It’s all been very hard.
>> For my dad, the alternative
with to die and a doctor at
UTMB told me that patients on
the transplant list die every year because there simply
year because there simply
aren’t enough donors.
>> Doctor, Trina in your Brett
son is a transplant surgeon
and by an incredible
coincidence she and her husband
are also recipients. >> You know, without the
>> You know, without the
generosity of donors, my entire
family would not exist.
>> She says being a liver
recipient helps identify with
her patients. And there are a lot of them currently
lot of them currently
nationwide. There’s more than
106,000 people waiting for an
organ. They’re simply not
enough. The easiest solution,
if you’re a kidney patient, is
to have a living donor lined up.
>> The criteria to be a living
donor are very Not just, you
know, a history of some chronic
conditions, but also anatomy
their very specific anatomy
criteria. >> One recent option to move
>> One recent option to move
people off of the transplant
list faster is to have them
except in Oregon infected with
Hepatitis C. We can treat it.
>> With great success depending
on the drug use, 96 to 99%
clearance of that virus post
transplant.
>> Of all the medical topics
they cover. This is what I’m
particularly knowledgeable about because at the end of
about because at the end of
March, my dad received a kidney
here at UTMB.
>> Really, really, really
wanted to give me.
>> My dad, Anthony Hernandez
waited for a kidney for 7 years. We even made the trip
years. We even made the trip
to UTMB several times because
we thought there was a match
only to be told it wasn’t good
enough. A disappointing blow as
kidney disease continues to get worse with time.
worse with time.
>> No, you don’t get me.
It’s gone. And who knows when it will happen again. And who
it will happen again. And who
knows whether you have the time
left. I mean, my buddy was and
little did he know his day was
coming 2 months ago. He became
one of the lucky ones to receive the greatest gift.
receive the greatest gift.
>> I thank that man every day.
Since 100.
>> Whole miracle of transplant is possible because of donor
is possible because of donor
families and the decisions that
they make in a very tragic
time.
>> Now, what she’s saying is
that it is best to have that conversation with your family
conversation with your family
now before they have to make
that decision during a tragic
time. It also might not be
enough to have it on your
driver’s That is why you want to ultimately have that
to ultimately have that
conversation before they have
to make it in an untimely
death. It’s not a comfortable
conversation and it’s one that
should be had.
>> Before you’re in the
hospital, they have
conversations. So we saw that
your dad thought that he did
end up getting a kidney with
hepatitis C, hepatitis C and
that could have been what
helped us get one a little bit
faster. Like I said, he’s been on the transplant list for 7
on the transplant list for 7
years. He did get a hepatitis
C and the virus did show up
about 2 weeks after But he’s being treated for it. And like
being treated for it. And like
you said, there’s a 97 97% cure
rate for hepatitis C. So we are
still optimistic. We’re in a
really good place right now that I want to share that doing
that I want to share that doing
right now. He’s