Falls Twp. Woman Seeks Donor To ‘Give The Gift Of Living’

This year didn’t go exactly how retired journalist Petra Chesner Schlatter hoped.

Schlatter, who has work for the former Bristol Pilot, Yardley News, The Advance of Bucks County, and famed Philadelphia consumer reporter Herb Denenberg, started her search for a living kidney donor last year. At the time, she was positive that a donor would come through.

This Christmas season, she’s still searching and maintaining her positive attitude.

Over the past year, the sociable local has largely been confined to home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she was lucky enough welcome a grandson, little Arlo, in August.

“I have only seen Arlo twice because of the pandemic. I am high risk and am distancing and not going into public places,” she said.

One bit of bad news is that Schlatter’s kidney function is only 19 percent of capacity. She is seeking a living donor as the function shrinks.

“Since the pandemic, I put my search for a living kidney donor on hold because I thought, ‘Who would want to donate a kidney during a pandemic?’” she said. “But now, I know firsthand from going to hospitals, that they are safe because of all the precautionary measures.”

“I have restarted my campaign to find a living donor and pegged Team Petra as the name of my quest. I am sending letters to friends with flyers that can be posted in grocery stores, churches, synagogues and other public places,” she added.

Schlatter has Type O positive blood and needs a donor that has either Type O positive or negative.

A living donor’s kidney is preferred over that donated by someone who is deceased, which could take as long as seven years to get and had risk of more complications. Schlatter has been in contact with her doctors at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia throughout the process.

Donors have their medical costs and related expenses picked up by the hospital and the recipient’s insurance.

Schlatter hopes to find a living donor who matches her. So far, her efforts have come up empty.

“If you are an organ donor, please consider sharing one of your kidneys as a live kidney donor. Give the gift of living so I don’t have to go on dialysis and so I can prolong my life,” she said.

Anyone interested in seeing if they can be a donor can contact Schlatter at kidneytransplant1234@gmail.com with their full name and phone number.

Below is Schlatter’s message:

I have fourth-stage kidney disease and only have 19-percent function of my kidneys. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa., where I have been accepted as a patient to have a kidney transplant, has encouraged me to spread the word about my need for a living kidney donor. I am doing this because even strangers have been known to be living kidney donors. I hope you or someone you know would be willing to take the challenge and be my living kidney donor.

I am asking you to consider being a living donor so I do not have to go on dialysis while I would wait up to seven years for a deceased kidney. 

“In the U.S., there are over 100,000 people waiting for a deceased donor kidney transplant. That is why it takes five to seven years to get a kidney transplant,” said Bethany Hosier, kidney transplant coordinator for Jefferson.

My blood type is “O Positive.” The only blood type compatible with me is “O”. A donor could be either “O Positive” or “O Negative.”

Here are some fast facts:

• The success rate of transplants from living donors is higher than deceased donors.
• There are minimal health complications for both donor and recipient.
• Donation of a living kidney will greatly increase my quality of life and prevent dialysis which cannot be performed forever. If I do not find a living donor, I would start dialysis in about a year or two.
• Anyone can sign up to be a living donor.
• Even if a donor is not a match for the recipient, there is an exchange program in place.
• A person who wishes to be a living donor is in the hospital for four to five days. “We typically tell donors to stay out of work at least four weeks, but it really depends on their job,” Hosier said.

• Living kidney donors are offered home care if they would like it. “All donor bills — hospital stay, medications, home care — are paid for by a donor acquisition fund and the kidney recipient’s insurance.

As a retired journalist for The Advance of Bucks County, Yardley News and BucksLocalNews.com, I focus a good deal of my time on my hope to make this world a better place and sharing the words, “Peace, Love and Harmony,” on my Facebook page, which has about 2,000 followers. My goal is to inspire others about the good in the world. 

My hope is to continue spreading joy and happiness. But of most importance, I want to meet my future grandchildren and spend a lot of quality time with them. I can achieve this if I find a living kidney donor.

Thank you so very much for your support. I hope I have inspired you to become a living kidney donor for me. 

If you are interested, please send an email to kidneytransplant1234@gmail.com with your full name and phone number.

I will send you the living donor coordinators’ names and phone numbers, along with a living donor website address. A living donor video is included in the information.

I hope to hear good news from you very soon.

If you are seeking an organ donation, LevittownNow.com will be happy to feature your story in hopes of finding a donor. Email news@levittownnow.com for more.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---