Pawtucket man gets creative in search of kidney donor
By Liz Tufts
ltufts@abc6.com
Time is running out for a Pawtucket man in desperate need of a new kidney.
He’s on a long transplant list but he’s now hoping a sign on the back of his pick-up truck will help find him a match sooner. It’s not a new concept, but one that’s working all around the world for those fighting to stay alive.
Every time 33-year-old Victor Raposo, of Pawtucket, gets behind the wheel of his truck, he’s praying his phone will ring.
"This is pretty much my drive-able billboard," says Raposo.
He’s taking this message on the road and plastering it all over social media. Raposo needs a new kidney now. He was born with congenital kidney failure but his only good kidney is failing. He’s on dialysis three days a week.
Raposo’s been on a kidney transplant waiting list for two years along with more than 120 thousand other people. It’s estimated that 22 people die a day waiting for one. That wait could be up to seven years.
According to his doctor, Raposo doesn’t have that time to wait. He’s gotten several phone calls, but nothing solid yet.
"People have called to see if they can donate and I don’t know if it’s fear, or what, because they don’t end up going through with it," he explains.
His father-in-law and wife are also posting the same message on their cars–and they’re not alone. Over the years, more and more transplant patients, like Victor, are turning to social media and other creative ways in their search for organs.
Today, thousands of Facebook pages are set up to help many find a match. Victor says it can’t hurt.
"Saw a guy who did it in Connecticut and got a transplant for someone all the way in California, so anything is possible," says Raposo. "A transplant would save my life and bring freedom back to me and family."
The test to see if you are a match is pretty simple. It requires a blood and tissue test along with a complete physical.
© WLNE-TV 2016
