Livingstone College president’s plea: Help locate a kidney match

LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE

Livingstone College President Anthony Davis announced at May 3 commencement he needs a kidney transplant to alleviate end-stage renal disease that requires daily dialysis.

Livingstone College President Anthony Davis needs a kidney transplant.

Davis announced during the school’s May 3 commencement, he suffers from end-stage renal disease and made a plea for help locating a suitable donor. Davis, who which was diagnosed with stage 3 renal failure after he was appointed president in 2022, is now stage 5, which makes a transplant the only way to improve his prognosis. 

“I’ve been fighting this disease that's been holding me hostage for the last year and a half,” said Davis, a 2001 Livingstone graduate who is among 90,000 people in the United State who needs a kidney transplant. He requires daily dialysis – which consumes more than a third of the day – to rid his blood of toxins. 

“After a long workday, I go home and hop on a dialysis machine for nine-and-a-half hours,” Davis said. “But we’re still going, and I’m bringing the machine wherever I go.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 800,000 people suffer from ESRD, with 68% on dialysis and 32% with a kidney transplant. Males are 1.6 times more likely to develop the disease than females, and Black people, who make up 14% of the nation’s population, account for 30% of all ESRD cases. Black people are four times more likely to develop end-stage renal disease than the population.

End-stage renal disease occurs when the kidneys’ efficiency fails to a point they no longer function. At the loss of 85% to 90% of kidney function, waste accumulates in the body.

Chronic kidney disease is among the leading causes of death in the U.S., affecting 15% of adults and can lead to kidney failure. At least 11 people die every day waiting for a kidney. Dialysis is a lifesaving treatment for kidney failure but requires the patient to be hooked to a dialysis machine for hours at a time, often for several days each week.

According to the Office of Minority Health, 28.5% of all candidates waiting for organ transplants in 2020 were Black, who made up 13% of organ donors. In 2020, 83.6% of donor organs from Black people were from dead donors. 

Kidney transplants are a high-need area for Black Americans, who have a higher prevalence of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease, which can lead to organ failure. 

Despite the disproportionate need, Black Americans are less likely to be organ donors compared to their white peers. In 2020, Black people accounted for 31% of kidney transplant candidates they only made up 8% of living donors. Complicating Davis’ plight is his blood type. He’s O positive, which is rare and led to his asking the commencement audience to help him locate a donor through his “Bee My Match” campaign. To sign up to become an organ donor or learn about donation, go to www.organdonor.gov.

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