In what was a really big secret, Tracy Morgan underwent kidney transplant surgery on December 10th. Tracy was at a Knicks game over the weekend and I showed you his picture at the game, but apparently he is still too sick to work and will miss a few episodes of 30 Rock as a result. Tracy is the second cast member of the show to get a kidney transplant. Grizz Chapman got one last year and has become a national spokesperson for the Kidney Foundation. Grizz has done such good work and hopefully Tracy will follow in his footsteps when he gets better.
Hope he has a quick recovery. I know someone with a kidney transplant and there is this neat button in his wrist that beeps when his body begins to reject the kidney.
ReplyDeleteThe more you knoooww
/shooting star
does it beep when he walks backwards too?
ReplyDeleteI saw this yesterday. Heal up soon Tracy!
ReplyDeleteI love Tracy Morgan. Like, actual love for the man. I think he's hilarious, a good man and the things he said about Tina Fey were so touching, they make ME tear up just thinking about them.
ReplyDeleteI wish him the speediest recovery possible. Why? BECAUSE HE'S HI-LARIOUS!
my friend's Dad had one early this year...and he was not at any b-ball games. helluva surgeon Tracy must have had.
ReplyDeleteI hope he takes better care of himself. News reports in the post have talked about his serious drinking and drugging (his refusal to change was one of the reasons his wife divorcd him -- she didn't want his children to watch her enabling his destructive behavior. I'm amazed he was allowed to stay on the transplant list. Guess it's because he's so young and still has the possibility to change.
ReplyDeletei hope this puts him on the straight and narrow...b/c, sorry to say it...if not it's just a waste of a kidney that could've gone to someone else who needed it just as much.
ReplyDeletei hope he and his kidney have a great 2011.
Sorry @weezy but that statement bugs me. First, Tracy has been clean for quite some time now. I know he was reckless for quite some time. But the real issue I have is one of my relatives has had 2 kidney transplants and her lifestyle is by far what led her there. Not from drugs and alcohol but because she's obese, has eaten crap her whole life and hasn't exercised a day in her life. She loves the attention she gets from being sick and still hasn't changed any of her habits. I don't get why that's acceptable but someone who had a substance abuse problem for a while should get kicked off the list.
ReplyDeleteIn case you can't tell, I'm a little over that person and the situation ;)
I hope he has great health after this. Not an easy thing to go through, and there can be lots of complications.
ReplyDeleteHOLY CRAP! He did what 8 days after?? After mine I couldn't hardly walk for a month without the entirety of my lower right side muscles threatening to jump out of my body and run away! He has mad painkillers or a very high tolerance for pain .. I will tell ya that much!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to him. Sounds very much like he knew his donor .. maybe a family member [Hopefully not his wife! Don't want a George Lopez situation for him!] because to my recollection I never heard about him being on dialysis for a dogs age as is the route for most of us. [I was on the list and dialysis for 5 years and almost died before I got mine 8 years ago .. and back then only about 35,000 people were on the list for transplant .. just checked and was HORRIFIED to learn 93,000+ are on for kidneys now!} Hope he takes his meds and has a long happy relationship with his new kidney friend.
And Mary Ellen .. can you post here about this button you know of that alerts to rejection?? I am VERY financially strapped - lost a house to foreclosure this year and had my bankruptcy trustee meeting on the 13th of this month - and can't afford the blood tests I need to check for rejection every other month. [$650 a pop! : / ] A button installed somewhere that alerts to rejection wold be a boon to my wallet and my sanity! Thank you!
Again .. Congrats to Tracy!
Good for him, he is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteAnd who knows, he could've had a living donor--then he wouldn't have been on the list at all.
Damn Bubs .. very sorry to hear of your relative and the careless way she treats her body. : /
ReplyDeleteThe good news is .. if you can call it such .. is that with 93,000 people now on the list and all the antibodies that build up with every transplant you receive reducing your "donor pool" .. she will not be getting another.
So .. you might want to drop that knowledge on her. Maybe the realization she is heading towards death might get her to amend her ways?? Because .. damn .. I almost screamed .. literally .. after I saw that number. That means the list has more than doubled since I got my transplant in 2003. Christ .. scary g*dammned sh*t!! : / Additionally in my case, I have a rare blood type - B- - and so my pool is tiny to begin with .. so .. if I lose this .. I am very likely dead with only one transplant under my belt. Your relative is FOR SURE dead.
It should go without mentioning I am very pro-organ donation! And with all my anti-rejection drugs .. I would like to think I could donate an "allergy-free" organ .. if you will! : D - LOL! "Liver, Sir? It's allergy free!" [Seriously .. wouldn't that be great .. if I could donate my organs and they would not require anti-rejection drugs because I have been on them?]
Wil, I'm glad you found a match! I have friends who are identical twins. One of them is going to need a new kidney at some point because of a birth defect, so the other has to take good care of hers so she can give one to her sister some day. She's so lucky to have a twin, and one who loves her enough that she has no doubts about donating!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea. Love the guy and love him on '30 Rock'. May he have a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteWonderful stories, here in the comments. Thanks for sharing.
Wil, glad you got a kidney and seem to be doing well! The medical stuff can really tax you financially. Hope things turn around for you soon in that arena.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you Wil!
ReplyDeleteWil - Your story breaks my heart, man. Is there not some kind of government program or medicaid that could help you with those payments? :(
ReplyDeleteThey sure kept the Tracy story under wraps! I love him so much. Glad to hear he is ok.
Wil, if you don't mind me asking... what was your kidney disease?
ReplyDeleteI just found out on the 8th that i'm at 17% function and I have to set up all the things (vascular mapping) for home hemo etc. UGH so freaking scared
my transplant team (at university of pennsylvania, best place around here) appointment is on the 29th. Once again, scared as hell =(
If you have any advice, anecdotes or even "it gets better"? I'd so appreciate it.
Were you ever on dialysis?
I'm A+, so apparently my wait is closer to 3 years? But I'm hoping someone around me will do live donation.
I can't get anything from anyone in my family because everyone from my moms side has my kidney disease (FSGS), and everyone on my dads side has Lupus.
Genetics suck. I was adopted. This is the one thing my biomom kinda gave me =\
Thanks for the kind words, guys. One of the things I love about CDAN is the folks here .. always wonderful .. well .. except for that Alpha dude! LOL!!
ReplyDeleteMCH .. strangely .. kidneys are only covered for 36 months for meds. All other transplants are life time. These days .. I guess we should be thankful we even get that! But it is my opinion that people get to that point in time and can't pay .. so they lose their kidneys and go back on the list .. making the problem worse. : / bad news!
Julie .. I have tons of info on all of it .. and I very willing to share and be a touchstone for you if you would like one. Gonna check your profile for blogger and see if I can reach you there .. otherwise I will try to check in here to see if I can catch you on a post.
Thanks again guys .. much love to you all and a very wonderful holiday to you!
@Wil
ReplyDeleteI don't really know too much about it. I only found it when I helped him up one time and he told me what it was.
We're Canadian, so our health care system is really different from yours. I don't know if this button thing is exclusive to our health care, or is something you have to pay big bucks for.
Sorry I'm not too much of a help. Also, sorry about your troubles. I remember reading about them way back when you first moved back in with the family. I hope your 2011 is better than this year.
@Wil - I'm sorry to hear that. :( That is crazy that it's the only organ not covered for life. I hope you can find that device Sue Ellen was talking about. Sending positive vibes your way.
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