Torelli Hopes New Program Assists in Search for Living Kidney Donor Match
After nearly a year of hoping to find a living kidney donor match, Branford's Clare Torelli is now asking potential donors, past and future, to please make sure they apply online to have their tests sent to a new program with which she has been placed at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. Applicants can go to the secure site at www.mghlivingdonors.org to have their results forwarded.
Anyone with O negative or O positive blood type can be tested as a potential match for Torelli, and have their results sent to Massachusetts General. The tests can be done locally, such as at a recommended medical center, or at your physician's office. While she's now listed with the Massachusetts General Transplant Center Living Donor program, Torelli also remains on the list of those seeking a matching living donor through the Yale-New Haven Hospital Transplantation Center's Center for Living Organ Donors. She began seeking a matching donor through Yale's program last summer.
Torelli said she has learned that Massachusetts General is one of the country's premiere kidney transplant hospitals and offers recipients and donors a wider margin of matching protocols. That's why she's asking past potential donors who have tested for Yale to forward their results to the new program.
"If there was anyone that was available and Yale turned them down, well maybe Mass General wouldn't turn them down," said Torelli. "All they'd have to do is turn their records over to Mass General; fill out the application form and have those results sent over to Mass General."
Torelli, who will turn 74 next month, is living with Stage 4 out of Stage 5 kidney failure due to a genetic disorder, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). While she's qualified to be placed on the deceased organ donor wait list, the standard wait for those with Torelli's blood type is 5 to 8 years, and those on the list can't exceed the age of 78.
"I can't survive that wait," said Torelli. "I can't live that long."
Torelli has also learned Massachusetts General allows for living donors who are up to age 74 (based on health), rather than up to 70 years of age, as stipulated by Yale, she said. In all cases, a kidney from a living donor can be provided as soon as a match is located, and the recipient can be of any age.
Torelli's hope is also to avoid having to go on to dialysis, which will be necessary if her blood creatinine levels continue to rise. Kidneys remove creatinine from the blood; as kidney function declines, creatinine levels rise.
"My endurance is already getting shorter; and your body weakens on dialysis," said Torelli, adding, "I've got a farm to run! If I go on dialysis, I'm going to have to find homes for my animals, and that's going to break my heart."
A former volunteer for MADD, Branford Compassion Club, the Community Dining Room, Walter Camp Foundation and Special Olympics, Torelli is known for her youthful energy and love of animals. In addition to Malibu, her mustang, her farm family includes a miniature pony named Sully; Annie, a donkey; goats Gabby and Bella; and Buns, a bunny. Torelli (née Polverari) is among her family's third generation born and raised in Branford. She's worked with Branford Board of Education for over 40 years and, as an elected official, has served Branford on the Representative Town Meeting, now in her eighth term.
As a mom and friend to many in this community, Torelli said she's been overwhelmed by the support of her family and thanks those who have stepped up to assist by testing to be a match, and those who may respond to this new call for assistance.
"I feel like Mass General is widening the field to get a match," said Torelli. "I've got to solicit people. They just have to be Type O, negative or positive."