Zo has a new kidney....

[Drbio]

ESPN is reporting that Alonzo Mourning has found a donor. He will receive a new kidney, effectively saving his life, in the morning.


Best wishes to Zo.

[mary]

That's incredibly great news. I didn't realize the surgery would happen so soon.

[Evilmav2]

Good news, but I hope his celebrity status didn't vault him over other long-waiting and less famous patients on the kidney transplant list (even though Zo's high profile case has probably increased the numbers of donors over the last month)...

[Hitman]

Originally posted by: Evilmav2
Good news, but I hope his celebrity status didn't vault him over other long-waiting and less famous patients on the kidney transplant list (even though Zo's high profile case has probably increased the numbers of donors over the last month)...

I find it quite sad that people are willing to anty up their kidney for a celebrity over a regular person.

That said, it is great that Zo will be alright.

[ames7]

Me too, I didn't really know how to feel when I read that story about dozens of people offering up their kidneys for him. But I am glad he'll be okay. Hope he has a full & speedy recovery.

[madape]

Zo initially damaged his kidneys by abusing performace-drugs in attempt to skirt the pain and hard work required for NBA level conditioning.
Then he further crippled his kidneys in a blatant money-grab where he swindled the Nets (and almost the Mavericks) out of millions of dollars.
Now he's robbed a legitimately sick person out of his/her kidney.

No sypathy for this villain.

[Big Boy Laroux]

well, i don't wish harm on anyone, but i agree with ape somewhat. his use of painkillers has put him in this situation. he probably did vault over others needing a kidney, unless there was someone that specifically said "i'll donate my kidney, but only to zo."

[Drbio]

A family member donated a kidney to Zo.

[Jeremiah]

Aww, come on, he took lots of ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, heck, maybe some codeine. It's no big deal except that he took too many. I'll be the very first to shout loudly that basketball players are wusses as far as pain is concerned (outside of when injured)and especially machismo, but some guys have lower thresholds, and thus need otc drugs to kill their pain from flying elbows, charges, and whatever other bumps they may get. I'm not going to deny them that relief.

I wouldn't even be upset if he vaulted others who had been waiting long to get a kidney, and if he continued to get publicity for his ailment - as it can increase the amount of organ donors nationally.

I've no sympathy for him, but that's 'cuz he doesn't really affect my life, but I don't have spite for him.

OH, and there's plenty of NBA players, stars and not stars that aren't conditioned like they should be.

[madape]

go ahead and make excuses for a player who flushed a hall of fame career down the toilet. This pussy couldn't handle the pain of NBA basketball, so he popped pills and ruined his body. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him because he abused his body in the name of laziness? Nope.

[mary]

Friday, December 19, 2003


Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Former NBA All-Star center Alonzo Mourning underwent kidney transplant surgery Friday and was in good condition.

The surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia hospital came less than a month after Mourning retired from the New Jersey Nets because of a kidney disease.

The kidney donor, a family member, also was in good condition.

"Alonzo asks that all those who offered to donate a kidney to him extend that generosity to others who are waiting for transplants," his agent, Jeffrey Wechsler, said in a statement released after the surgery was completed.

"He appreciates all the well wishes and encouragement he has received from fans all around the world, and asks that the public respect his privacy during the recovery process."

Mourning, 33, retired on Nov. 24 because of complications from the disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. He was diagnosed before the 2000-01 season, when he was with the Miami Heat.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, known as FSGS, affects the filters of the kidney that remove toxins from the blood.

In the weeks before his retirement, tests showed that Mourning's kidney function had deteriorated and that the chemical imbalances in his blood made it dangerous for him to play.

"When you think about guys you come in contact with during your lifetime, this is someone I will never forget," Nets coach Byron Scott said before New Jersey played the Washington Wizards on Friday night. "He is a big-time inspiration to myself and probably a lot of those guys in the locker room."

Mourning told Scott earlier this week he was anxious to have the surgery.

"He was psyched up about it," Scott said. "I'm just happy for him because I know this was something he wanted. God willing, hopefully, he'll be here for a long time."

In his 12-year NBA career, the former Georgetown star was a seven-time All-Star and two-time defensive player of the year.

Scott feels Mourning may even consider a comeback once he recovers. Former NBA player Sean Elliott successfully returned to the league in 2001 after a kidney transplant in 1999.

"He can't help but to, he is a warrior," Scott said. "This is in his blood. This is what he does. He has been doing it for so long that you just can't get rid of it. It's like a junkie, it just doesn't go away that quick. It takes some time. I am sure he is going to think about it again."

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by: madape
go ahead and make excuses for a player who flushed a hall of fame career down the toilet. This pussy couldn't handle the pain of NBA basketball, so he popped pills and ruined his body. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him because he abused his body in the name of laziness? Nope.

Yes, you're supposed to feel sorry for him. You're supposed to cry for him. You're supposed to offer up your kidneys, healthy or not. I can just hear you getting mad in your head. ... sigh ... That feels good.

Feel whatever you like. The only one who cares is you.

[mary]

From this morning's New York Times.


Comeback by Mourning Isn't Out of the Question


By LEE JENKINS

Published: January 17, 2004


Four weeks after Alonzo Mourning had a kidney transplant, he is craving a workout.

He tells his doctor that he wants to run and lift weights. By the end of this season, perhaps he will want to play basketball, too.

For now, Mourning must continue to rest. He cannot participate in any physical activity for at least another two weeks, but his recovery has gone so smoothly that his doctor, Gerald Appel, says there is a chance that Mourning will be able to return to the N.B.A. and rejoin the Nets.

"It could very well come up," Appel said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "The one thing Alonzo has never had is an N.B.A. championship, and if the Nets are contenders, this could be an issue. I'm not writing it off. As well as I've known Alonzo the last three and a half years, I know that it's in the back of his mind. So it has to be in the back of my mind, too."

Mourning and Appel struck an agreement that neither of them would bring up basketball for six weeks after the Dec. 19 surgery. At that point, Mourning can be more confident that his body will not reject the kidney donated by his cousin Jason Cooper and that he will not experience a recurrence of the disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

As he rehabilitates at his home in New Jersey and as the incision near his abdomen heals, Mourning, 33, monitors the Nets and talks on the phone with Jason Kidd, Rod Thorn and Byron Scott.

When Mourning cut short his comeback in November, Scott immediately predicted that Mourning would eventually ponder a comeback. Although Mourning, who signed a four-year, $23 million contract during the off-season, has not issued any statement along that line, he has also not officially retired and is on the Nets' injured list.

According to some N.B.A. fans, Mourning is still a player. He ranks second among Eastern Conference centers in the All-Star voting, behind Detroit's Ben Wallace. When asked if there was any way that Mourning could participate in the All-Star game if he overtook Wallace, Appel responded, "When is it?"

There is no chance he can be ready to play in the Feb. 15 game, but Appel does expect Mourning to be able to travel by then and suggested that he might be able to fly to Los Angeles to attend the event.

If Mourning wants to join the Nets for the playoffs, even just to sit on the bench, they will gladly welcome him. Scott said he believed Mourning could be a positive influence in the locker room.

Before the transplant, Appel indicated that chances were slim that Mourning could ever play in another N.B.A. game. He sounds much more optimistic after watching Mourning stick to his regimen in the past month. Mourning reports to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center twice a week for check-ups and to have his medication adjusted.

Mourning has drawn motivation from other athletes who successfully came back from debilitating diseases. During his stay in the hospital, Mourning read the autobiography of Lance Armstrong, the cyclist who overcame cancer to win five Tour de France titles.

A precedent has already been set for Mourning in the N.B.A. Sean Elliott had a kidney transplant in August 1999 and returned to the San Antonio Spurs in March 2000, and Greg Ostertag donated a kidney to his sister in June 2002 and still plays for the Utah Jazz. Both Elliott and Ostertag have sought out Mourning to offer advice.

"If you ask Alonzo, he says he feels great," Appel said. "He feels good and looks good. He wants to work out, not necessarily for playing, but because it's what he loves to do. I always like to caution my words, but everything is going right according to schedule."

Although Mourning played only 12 games for the Nets, they miss his presence on the second unit. Without him, the bench has been unproductive, perhaps the most disappointing facet of the team. Mourning had been expected to carry the reserves.

Instead, he is not yet allowed to step on a treadmill or lift a barbell. That will be next in a series of steps that could lead him back to basketball.

[Shaq Attack2]

Wow, great news for Zo.

[Murphy3]

I don't see the issue if it's a family member that donated the kidney.