Vermont doctors, patients seek living kidney donors
WCAX
Dozens of Vermonters wait years for kidneys, a process that’s only gotten lengthier. According to the University of Vermont Medical Center, patients on average wait at least two to three years to get a kidney transplant, and in some instances, up to seven years.
Brandi Jagemann of Montpelier reflects on her health journey over 20 years with a grateful mindset and a bit of a chuckle. You wouldn’t be able to tell, but Jagemann beat leukemia and has undergone both a bone marrow transplant and a heart transplant.
“I’m the luckiest unlucky person you’ve ever met,” said Jagemann, “I have definitely been carried by angels is all I can think about. You know, I’ve been carried by different communities, my family, my friends, and no matter what you believe in, you know, the universal thoughts of positivity and prayers.”
She says she’s been on anti-rejection medication from both of her transplants in 2008 and 2016. She works full time, goes to Jazzercise, and raises her two young adult children.