A woman from Hamilton, New Jersey, came to Levittown last week to broaden her search for a kidney donation.
Barbara Lang, 25, has had kidney failure since she was five years old. Born in Guatemala, her father passed away when she was only three. She was surrendered to an orphanage until she was adopted by American parents at 13. She received a kidney transplant at 16, but her body rejected the organ two years later. For seven years, Lang has been waiting for news of a new kidney and her need has grown recently.
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“I’ve been looking for a way to get my story out, but it has been very hard,” Lang explained.
Lang said she has passed out flyers with her story on it, networked with friends and even resorted to standing outside of Walmarts, including the location in Tullytown.
Lang’s O+ blood type makes receiving blood and organ donations extremely difficult and has complicated her efforts.
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Lang’s history of adoption and the closed nature of the adoption means that she has almost no contact with her biological family.
Although she is undergoing three-hour sessions of dialysis three times each week, her kidney failure has begun to take a toll on her heart and the rest of her body.
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“I’m just trying my hardest to find a donor because if I have a problem with my heart, they won’t perform the transplant,” Lang said.
According to Lang, the kidney failure spreads disfunction to the rest of her body as well. Walking has become overly painful to the point that Lang requires a walker to walk any sort of distance.
“Basically, my whole life has been hospital after hospital after hospital,” Lang explained.
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By the time she learns how much time is left, it will be too late, Lang said. Although her present is bogged down by a difficult search for a kidney, the New Jersey woman hasn’t given up on the future.
When she gets better, Lang plans on going back to school to pursue a career dealing with animals. Lang is registered for her transplant at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia.
