For as long as he could remember Andrew was as fit as a whistle. He did push ups, he did sit ups, he played basketball & cricket, and above all else, he had the full assurance of his doctor that he was in excellent shape. Until he wasn’t.
In November 2018, a few days after his usual routine check-up, Andrew was closer to death than he had ever been before. He was bed-ridden, collapsing on the floor, and coughing up blood.
Unbeknownst to him, cysts were developing on his kidney, and they had been for a very long time.
It was at this point that Andrew was discovered to have had Acute Polycystic Kidney Disorder. And what followed was almost a year of treatment with no progress in sight.
Andrew Harris as he looked during his kidney failure in 2018, prior to receiving a life-saving transplant at the PA.
“I just had enough energy on the Friday to basically celebrate my birthday. And then the rest of the weekend I just collapsed…”
Fortunately for Andrew, his luck would turn.
“That evening, I got a phone call from my doctor saying we've got a kidney.”
“I had a five out of six match… If you know anything about that, it is extremely rare. I think that the doctor that did the transplant surgery said I was the second one he’d ever seen. Six is a twin and I had five out of six.”
“If I hadn't been such a good match, I wouldn’t have been on the list for another year or two and I don't think I would have made it.”
GRATEFUL: After his miraculous recovery, Andrew Harris has bequeathed the PA Research Foundation with 50% of his will.
