His health continued to decline, and ultimately his kidneys began to fail. He was in urgent need of a kidney transplant. Luckily, Donnan’s wife tested positive as a match and was able to serve as his kidney donor.
Unfortunately, after his transplant, Donnan’s condition worsened. Following additional testing, Donnan was finally diagnosed with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), a genetic, chronic, rare disease that can either be caused by genetics or a trigger that can progressively damage vital organs that can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and death.1,2
As a father of 2 young children, Donnan recalls being afraid of what the future would hold prior to his diagnosis. “Before my diagnosis I think my family was affected very emotionally. I know there were times that they had things that they were excited about experiencing with me and I wasn’t able to be there.”
After Donnan’s physician diagnosed him with aHUS, they began working together to manage the disease. Today, Donnan has been able to get back to the thing he loves most—spending time with his family. “I can chase my kids and play again,” says Donnan. “I think knowing what I have brings a peace to my life. If I had to backtrack and come up with my biggest wish about aHUS, it would be that I was diagnosed 12 years ago,” says Donnan.