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When Angela Seagraves was told she had kidney disease at the young age of 30-something, her health became even more center stage. After many unsuccessful attempts at getting care out-of-state in hopes of a transplant, the Renown Patient Access Representative would experience a “dream come true” with the establishment of the Renown Transplant Institute, Reno’s first-ever kidney transplant program. Angela tried many things to keep her kidneys in check after her diagnosis. However, getting COVID-19 four times would be what would accelerate her into stage five kidney failure by March 2023. With her kidneys operating at 12%, she began dialysis in June of that same year, going in three days a week for three hours of treatment each time. With no kidney transplant program in northern Nevada at the time, Angela was forced to look outside the area, without success. Feeling discouraged, she continued dialysis, hoping for an answer. That answer then came when she started seeing announcements on Renown’s intranet regarding the grand opening of the Renown Transplant Institute and the kidney transplant journey of Kirill Zelenin, the son Renown Clinical Application Specialist Masha Zelenin. After being referred to the Institute by her care team at DaVita Dialysis Center, Angela scheduled her evaluation appointment. Here’s a breakdown of what she experienced. Angela’s First Appointment at the Renown Transplant Institute Angela was excited to know that she would only have to wait a couple of weeks to be seen for her full-day appointment at the Renown Transplant Institute. She felt nothing but optimism when the day came. After she checked in at 7:30 a.m., her appointment started with a Transplant 101 education class, a detailed overview of the transplant process. She was then brought into the office to meet the multidisciplinary transplant team, including: Dr. Ernesto Molmenti, Executive Director of the Renown Transplant Institute and Chief of Transplantation at Renown Health Dr. Narisorn Atsava-Svate, Transplant Nephrologist for the Renown Transplant Institute Transplant nurse coordinators, a pharmacist, a dietician, a social worker and a financial coordinator Together, the team review her medical history, discussed what makes a good transplant candidate and explained the tests required as part of her evaluation. “These people were some of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever met,” she said. Following the team meet-and-greets, Angela was sent to the lab, where the phlebotomists took several blood samples. Then, she walked over from the lab to the imaging room, where she ended her full-day assessment with a chest X-ray and a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis. Time of check-out: 3:30 p.m. Angela walked out of her appointment with restored hope, noting how “wonderful the support system is” at the Renown Transplant Institute.

Read More About A First-Hand Account of a Renown Health Kidney Transplant Evaluation Experience