LAFAYETTE PARISH — As the nation marks National Donate Life Month this April, the National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana is sounding the alarm on a growing, silent epidemic: kidney disease and the urgent need for more organ donors.
Kidney disease affects more than 1 in 7 American adults, yet 9 out of 10 don’t know they have it until it's too late, according to the Foundation. That delayed diagnosis often means dialysis or transplant is the only option for survival.
“I was on a business trip in Australia when I crashed into dialysis,” said Pesh Patel, a kidney patient and transplant recipient. “Within two hours of entering the ER, I was in the ICU with a 24-hour dialysis machine on me. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Patel received a kidney transplant in 2018 through a paired exchange, but the organ was rejected after 2.5 years. Now, he’s one of the 89,792 Americans waiting for a kidney, as part of a national transplant list that includes over 103,000 people. In Louisiana alone, 1,827 people are waiting for an organ—and 89% of them are waiting for a kidney.
“Right now, my wait time is 7 to 10 years because I’m O positive,” Patel said. “Unless I find a living donor, that’s how long I’ll be on the list.”
Patel founded A Kidney Life, a nonprofit focused on education, advocacy, and awareness for kidney patients. He also serves on the board of directors for the National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana and on national advisory boards for policy and education.
“I created the foundation because I realized there weren’t enough loud voices,” Patel said.
“A lot of patients are overwhelmed, lost, and isolated in their journey. I wanted to create a platform where we could be loud together—as a collective.”
Despite record-setting numbers in 2024 with 48,000 total transplants, including 27,332 kidney transplants, the gap remains massive. Only 6,290 kidneys came from living donors, and the wait list continues to grow. Meanwhile, 555,000 Americans are on dialysis.
“Being an organ donor can save up to eight lives,” Patel said. “It gives people like me one more meal with their family, one more hug, one more birthday. You can’t measure that.”
Patel encourages people to learn about living donation and explore programs like paired exchange or the Kidney Voucher Program, which allow donors to help even if they’re not a direct match.
The public can register as donors when renewing their driver’s licenses or visit organdonor.gov. Those interested in becoming a living donor can contact Tulane Transplant or check out their website here or visit kidneyla.org for more information.
“In South Louisiana, we love sitting around the dinner table. That’s where these conversations need to happen,” Patel said. “We’re not promised tomorrow."
