22 March 21 • 2019
jn

W

hen a fellow physician 
asked Brett Ehrmann if his 
failing kidneys made him 
less sympathetic to patients with rela-
tively minor woes, he quickly realized 
he views it differently.
“It is actually the opposite — every-
one has their own crosses to bear and I 
have been able to relate to people bet-
ter because of my experience,
” said the 
West Bloomfield native, who practices 
medicine and instructs at Weill Cornell 
Medicine in New York.
Ehrmann, 31, was in middle 
school when his mother, Robin, was 
diagnosed with polycystic kidney 
disease. But since there was little to 
be done about the genetic condition 
at the time, he decided to wait until 
he was in medical school to find out 
for sure.
“I had been prepared for the diag-
nosis, so it was more of a confirma-
tion; but it was a still whirlwind of 
emotions. I knew what my mom had 
been through,” he said. “Since it is 
genetic, it is going to progress how it 
will progress and, in my experience, it 
is wasted energy to focus on things I 
can’
t control.”
And energy is not something he has 
a lot to spare; as the disease progress-
es, Ehrmann’
s chief symptom is a lack 
of energy.
Now he and his family, including 
parents, Robin (who received a trans-
plant from a living donor 16 years ago) 
and Paul Ehrmann of West Bloomfield 
(both physicians and members of 
Congregation B’
nai Moshe), are hoping 
to find a person willing to give a kid-
ney in a living donor procedure. 
The waiting list for a kidney from a 
deceased donor has more than 100,000 
people on it, which translates to at 
least five years. And a living kidney 
donation generally lasts longer and 
functions better. 

The alternative would be dialysis, a 
grueling process that is usually three 
days a week for four hours at a time. 
“It would certainly help my kidneys 
do their job and keep me alive, but it 
is associated with a high risk of com-
plications and poor long-term results,
” 
Ehrmann explained in an email he’
s 
circulated to friends and family. “
A 
transplant would offer me much more 
freedom and the ability to live a longer, 
healthier, more normal life.
”
More than 50,000 people have given 
a kidney as a living donor, according to 
the National Kidney Registry.
“Donating a kidney not only helps 
the person who receives the kidney, 
but also shortens the deceased donor 
wait list, helping others get a deceased 
donor kidney sooner,
” says the groups’
 
website (kidneyregistry.org). “
Also, all 
living donors are awarded points for 
their donation so if they ever need a 
kidney later in life, they will be given 
priority on the deceased donor list.
”
People need only one of their two 
kidneys to live a long, healthy life. 
Most donor surgery is done laparo-
scopically through a tiny incision near 
the belly button, has a very small risk 
of complications and requires about 
two weeks of recuperation. Medical 
costs are covered by the recipient’
s 
insurance.
It is unclear at this time if Brett’
s 
brothers, Daniel and Zachary, are suit-
able donors. 
“We want to keep the word out,” 
noted Paul Ehrmann, who practices 
family medicine in Royal Oak. “The 
idea of an organ donation is such 
a mitzvah and such a wonderful 
thing someone could do for another 
human.” ■ 

Learn more about the living donor process, 
which begins with a blood test to determine a 
match, at cornell.donorscreen.org.

JOYCE WISWELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Gift of Life

West Bloomfi
 eld native seeks kidney donor.

jews d
in 
the

The Ehrmann family: Zach, Robin, Brett, Paul and Daniel.

Hope has a home:
 

The University of Michigan 
Prechter Bipolar Research Program 

What causes bipolar disorder — the dangerous manic highs 
and devastating lows? Our scientists and research participants 
are committed to finding answers and effective personalized 
treatments.

Be a source of hope for bipolar disorder.

Join us:
 Right now, gifts are being matched 
up to $5 million.

PrechterProgram.org 734-763-4895