DOVER — A senior at Delaware State University took holiday giving to a whole new level over the winter break.Sadat Burton, a criminal justice major, donated his left kidney to his uncle on Dec. 19.
“He’s had (kidney disease) since he was 14 and received a transplant in 1998 from my mom, and at a family gathering about a year ago he said he would be needing a new one soon,” Mr. Burton said.
Mr. Burton’s uncle, Eric Greene of Wilmington, was given a kidney at age 30 by his sister — Mr. Burton’s mother, Vanessa Greene — who was 34 at the time.
Kidney disease is a condition that reduces the functionality of the kidneys over an extended period of time and often results in total renal failure.
There are no long-term treatment options that have been shown to slow the progression of the disease — aside from a transplant.
“If no one in my family would have been able to donate a kidney, I would have had to go on a transplant list and stayed on dialysis until I was able to get a new one,” Mr. Greene said.
