Two years ago, Elizandro "Eli" Cortez felt like he was living a nightmare. His diabetes, which was uncontrolled for years, started taking a devastating toll on his body. Soon his kidneys started failing.

"My body swelled up with fluids and my weight shot up to 300 pounds," he says. "I couldn't bend down or walk from the bedroom to the kitchen."

In May 2007, the now 41-year-old father of three started dialysis.

"I needed four-hour treatments three days a week for the rest of my life, or I would die," Cortez says. "I was miserable."

A Life Changing Decision
Cortez's youngest brother, 31-year-old Andres "Andy" Mora, couldn't stand by and watch his brother's condition worsen.

So he made a decision that changed both of their lives forever. He offered Cortez a kidney.

"Eli never asked anyone to donate a kidney," Mora says. "But I felt like God was telling me I was the one who had to do this, if that's what he needed to get better. My wife, Veronica, supported my decision."

Cortez was overwhelmed. "I asked Andy if he was sure," he says. "My brother's got a big heart, but he was married with small children. I was worried for him."

Excellent Care
Cortez and Mora, who are both McAllen residents, didn't have to go far for testing and treatment. The South Texas Transplant Center at McAllen Medical Center had recently opened, so Cortez and Mora were able to get excellent care right in their hometown. Although the men are half-brothers, the test results showed they were a match.

In July 2007, they made history as the first patients to undergo a kidney transplant at McAllen Medical Center.

"It's really a wonderful thing that we did together," Mora says. "Eli has a second chance at life, and I'm as healthy and active as I was before surgery."

"Andy's a hero," Cortez says. "I feel fantastic thanks to him. My color and the sparkle in my eyes came back. My life has changed. Thanks to the new transplant center, we didn't have to travel hundreds of miles for testing and surgery, and our family members and friends could be there to support us."

Learn More About the South Texas Transplant Center
Please call 1-800-321-3084 or visit us online at www.southtexashealthsystem.com. Click on Services P-Z in the left column, then on Transplant Center.

Treatment Can Reduce Organ Rejection Risk
McAllen Medical Center is the only hospital in the Rio Grande Valley offering plasmapheresis, an innovative therapy that can help some kidney transplant patients and people battling certain autoimmune diseases.

During plasmapheresis, patients' blood passes through a special device that separates plasma from blood cells. The blood cells and replacement fluids then are returned to patients.

"The process makes a tremendous difference for people waiting for kidney transplants," says Robert Tamez, Assistant Administrator at McAllen Medical Center. "It helps remove antibodies that can cause transplant recipients to reject organs from donors with incompatible blood types. Once we remove the antibodies, we're often able to transplant organs into patients who normally wouldn't be considered good matches."

Plasmapheresis also can help patients with autoimmune disorders, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and myasthenia gravis, whose immune systems go awry and produce auto-antibodies that mistakenly attack their own bodies.

The South Texas Transplant Center offers advanced surgical care and technology.

Changing Lives, Saving Lives
Diabetes and kidney failure (a common diabetes-related complication) are rampant in the Rio Grande Valley. Many local residents whose kidneys fail need dialysis treatments or transplants to stay alive.

Now, these patients can receive the specialized transplant and renal services they need close to home at the South Texas Transplant Center, located within McAllen Medical Center.

It's the only transplant center in the Valley. Surgeons have performed 35 kidney transplants since the Center opened in 2007. About 250 people are on the Center's transplant waiting list.

"Our patients are doing extremely well," says Daniel "Rick" McLean, MD, Surgical Director at the Center. "We have one of the lowest organ rejection rates in the country."

Advanced Testing and Techniques
The Center's convenient location means that area patients don't have to travel hundreds of miles for presurgery evaluations, transplant surgery and post-transplant care. Doctors thoroughly evaluate patients and potential donors by taking medical histories, performing physical exams and ordering laboratory tests to determine compatibility.

Surgeons use advanced techniques and technology to remove and transplant kidneys. The Center also offers advanced dialysis services, immunosuppressant therapies and transplant biopsies.

"It's been a huge success," says Robert Tamez, Assistant Administrator at McAllen Medical Center. "We've received more than double the number of referrals we expected."

Saving and Improving Lives
"Patients with kidney transplants live about twice as long as those who receive dialysis treatments," says Jose Farias-Jimenez, MD, transplant surgeon at the Center. "They feel better, don't have to rely on dialysis and enjoy more normal lives."

Kidneys from live donors last even longer than those from cadaver donors. About half the transplants performed at McAllen Medical Center use kidneys from live donors, usually family members or friends who generously donate kidneys to help their loved ones.

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