Thomas Cotten

40+ years battling CKD. 7+ yrs of dialysis Hemo/PD. 3 Renal Transplants. Sharing my story of #StormTested.

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

At 18, the protein loss in my urine was so great my doctors were forced to stop the blood flow to my kidneys. This story is after waking from the procedure. https://t.co/YpIdcMPKet #StormTested #kidneyfailure #survivalstory

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

Pain doesn’t always scream.
Sometimes he whispers.
Sometimes he sits quiet in the corner, arms crossed, waiting on you to fall apart.
He’s got a thousand faces.
And I’ve met most of them.
#StormTested #Memoir #InvisiblePain #KidneyWarrior #SurvivalLooksLikeThis

[KidneySolutions•A Network of Transplant Experience @k_solutions_org]

My name is Adriana. I was first transplanted when I was six years old. I lived a relatively normal life with my transplanted kidney, which lasted twenty seven years. I was initially diagnosed at the age of three with IGA Nephropathy and now find myself needing a new transplant.

[KidneySolutions•A Network of Transplant Experience @k_solutions_org]

Tabitha Deborah Bonner has kidney failure and is in great need of a living donor who will be her hero. A living kidney donation will be a true blessing for Tabitha and her family. Thank you for considering being a donor and God Bless!

[KidneySolutions•A Network of Transplant Experience @k_solutions_org]

I’m a veteran and a teacher. I recently had the catheter surgery so I’ll start dialysis soon. Because of the kidney disease, I haven’t been able to do even half as much as I would like in the community. I would really like to get back to being the person my family and community.

[Mass General Brigham @MassGenBrigham]

Tim Andrews threw out the first pitch at last night’s Boston @redsox game wearing the number eight in honor of his favorite player, Carl Yastrzemski.

As our second patient to undergo a pig kidney transplant, this marks another milestone in Mass General Brigham’s dedication to addressing the organ shortage crisis by bringing hope to patients worldwide through xenotransplantation.

It’s the first of many moments he looks forward to enjoying with his family, who joined him on the field. By his side were his wife, Karen, several family members, and his doctors Leonardo Riella, MD, PhD, and Tatsuo Kawai, MD, PhD.

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

When I was 17, my talk with my kidney Doc. https://t.co/a15dMGLtep #kidneyfailure #organdonation #football

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

I wrote this post for anyone who’s ever been in a fight they didn’t ask for. https://t.co/XlKeUOb2Aj #kidneytransplant #dialysis #pain #stormtested

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

July 4, 1976. I was 11—lost on the National Mall during America’s Bicentennial.
No phone. No GPS. Just fear and instinct.
I found the lost and found tent and waited.
That day, I learned something early:
Survival starts with staying calm.

#StormTested #SurvivalStory #dialysis

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

In 1983 when it was time to start dialysis, I had surgery to build an AV graft.
This scar is what’s left.
It never worked.
But the scar stayed.
Proof of the fight—whether the graft held up or not.

#StormTested #KidneyDisease #scars #DialysisHistory #AVGraft
#StormTested

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

@maria_s493 Dialysis can be such a struggle. I think the most important piece is to have a support system. We need relationships to move forward. Congratulations finding a donor.

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

In 1982, I started losing my kidneys. I was seventeen years old. By the end of 1983, I had started my first stint of dialysis treatments.

[Thomas Cotten @ThomasFightsOn]

After my 1985 transplant, I drank a cyclosporin-orange juice cocktail every morning. Thick. Oily. Bitter. Served in a med cup. Yum yum. #StormTested #kidneytransplant #dialysis #MUSC #organdonation #UAB