In March 2014, Lance Tanner was hospitalized for a month and eventually diagnosed with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (atypical HUS or aHUS). aHUS is an ultra-rare, life-threatening, genetic disease that progressively damages vital organs, leading to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and death. Atypical HUS causes chronic uncontrolled activation of the complement system, resulting in the fo
rmation of blood clots in small blood vessels throughout the body, known as thrombotic microangiopathy or TMA. The complement system is a part of the immune system that helps or complements the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear pathogens from an organism. There are only around 300-500 people in the US with this syndrome. Atypical HUS caused the small vessels in Lance’s body to clot which resulted in renal failure. Lance received plasmapheresis treatments as well as hemodialysis during his month in the hospital. He continues on dialysis 3 times per week and also has infusions every other week of a drug called Soliris, which inhibits the complement system in the blood, therefore preventing flare ups. He will need to receive this infusion every other week for the rest of his life. Soliris only became FDA approved to treat aHUS in 2011. Lance and his wife, Laura, will be married for 10 years on September 11, 2015. They have always led an active lifestyle and continue to do as much as possible. Although Lance has dialysis and Soliris infusions, he continues to work full time. Lance was added to the Kidney Transplant Waiting List at California Pacific Medical Center on 2/4/15. Depending on organ availability, the average wait time for his blood type, O+, is 5-7 years. The option of Living Donor Kidney Transplant can obviously decrease his wait time considerably. His sisters started the process of being living donors but because aHUS is a genetic disease, it could potentially activate aHUS in their systems, so family donors are discouraged at this time. This page was created for Lance and his family to reach out for help. Have you ever considered becoming a living donor? If you or someone you know is interested in donating a kidney to Lance, please message this page, email [email protected], or call the California Pacific Medical Center Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program at 415-600-1700 to obtain information and to be screened. This page will keep everyone up to date on Lance’s progress. Please share it and thank you for your support!
