"LI Man Using Times Square Billboard To Find Kidney" - Laura Blasey
Television news executives usually work behind the camera, but Marc Weiner and his search for a kidney have stepped out to become the story. “How do you find people? Do you just ask?” for a kidney, said Weiner, who survived bladder and kidney cancer. His method of seeking a kidney went up this week on a Times Square billboard, a donation from a friend who wants to help Weiner find an organ donor. Weiner and his support circle hope the ad will not only yield a kidney for Weiner, but also bring attention to the shortage of donors across the country. In late 2015, Weiner was diagnosed with transitional cell carcinoma, a type of cancer that often affects the bladder and kidneys. Ketan Badani, MD, vice chairman of urology and director of the Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program at the Mount Sinai Health System, was able to remove the cancer and Weiner’s bladder and kidneys in two surgeries in 2016. The human body needs only one kidney to function. It’s possible to survive without any kidneys, but patients like Weiner must undergo dialysis to remove the waste and excess nutrients a kidney would filter out. It’s a grueling, painful and time-consuming process.
- Ketan Badani, MD, Professor, Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Vice Chairman, Urology, Director, Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program, Mount Sinai Health System