Hey Neighbor, Can You Spare Some Sugar? Oh Yeah, And A Kidney.

Lance was diagnosed with aHUS, an ultra-rare, life-threatening, genetic disease and needs a kidney transplant! They live near Pismo Beach, CA.

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!

Mind going a million miles a minute? Slow down with this breathing exercise

07/17/2020

This quick mindful breathing exercise is great because it brings multiple senses together. You’re watching and feeling your fingers while paying attention to your breath. It also requires an awareness of multiple locations in your body (fingers, hands, and lungs). It’s a great reset!

Mind going a million miles a minute? Slow down with this breathing exercise When your brain is churning away with worries and anxieties, this effective exercise can help you start to calm down, says psychiatrist Judson Brewer.

A Movement to Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic | #StayTheFuckHome

03/15/2020

I will do my part in the fight against . I urge you to do the same! **kHome

A Movement to Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic | #StayTheF**kHome Our governments can't do it alone, we have to take action now! Do your part and stay the f**k home!

03/28/2018

The top photo was taken in August of 2015 when we came to SF for pre transplant interviews and testing. The bottom was taken 2 years and a month post (yesterday) in the same spot. Lefty on the right is kicking ass and making lots of p*e! Kidney function is great, down to doing labs every other month and lowering my tacrolimus dosage. Thanks everyone who followed along during this adventure. Just wanted to post an update since we just had our 2 year check up.

02/25/2017

1 year ago today, and I never went back!

01/16/2017

So is aHUS a rare disease? It is rarer than rare! - aHUS Alliance Action Is aHUS a Rare Disease? Good question when Rare Disease Day 2017 is nearly upon us.Well by the definitions of what constitutes a rare disease, aHUS is rare disease. Definition(S) !!? Yes there are many definitions for the term rare disease and there is no worldwide consensus how RARE is RARE. So how...

07/28/2016

Rated as the most expensive drug in the world, did you know it takes approximately 4 years to make 1 single 30ml vial of Lance 's LIFE SAVING medication~ Eculizumab (Soliris) to treat ? Lance receives 4 vials every 2 weeks!

Meet This Courageous Family Ready to Leave Their Country To Save Their Young Son with aHUS – The...

06/23/2016

Dear family and friends,

I need anyone's help who can help me find this new friend a job, hopefully in the area. His six-year-old son, Aadhyan has the same disease Lance Tanner has... Atypical HUS. We are all so fortunate to have the medical care and life-saving treatments we do in the United States. Unfortunately this miracle drug that has saved Lance's life, is not available in India. He and his family want to move to California ASAP, but needs to find a job with insurance to support his family.

He has a CA degree which is equivalent to CPA in the US. He is currently working for Vodafone Mobile Services in India as a financial analyst (business planning and budgeting role). He would love a job in this field or any accounting job that will help him support his family and get his son the care he needs.

Thank you friends!

Meet This Courageous Family Ready to Leave Their Country To Save Their Young Son with aHUS – The... Here is the story of an amazing and courageous family from India. Deepika and Anil Jaiswal have a young son Aadhyan who has had aHUS since he was 1 year old. He is now close to 6. But what’s different for Aadhyan, is that unlike those in the United States (and several other countries), there is n...

06/11/2016

Just wanted to post a quick update since I haven't in a while. Laura and I are both doing well. We went up to San Francisco this last week and had a follow up. Labs are looking good and have no physical restrictions anymore. Will be down to having labs done just once a week now, which will be nice. We have our next appointment in late August. On another note, I finally got on the motorcycle the other day and took a couple hot laps around a local country road (felt so good). Will keep you posted as new things come up, thanks for all the support and good thoughts.

Photos from Hey Neighbor, Can You Spare Some Sugar? Oh Yeah, And A Kidney.'s post

05/20/2016

I'm honored to be the Friday night speaker at the aHUS meetup. I get to talk about Lance & Laura's journey (& the rest of our family).
pharmaceuticals is the company who makes Lance's medication, Soliris, that he receives every 2 weeks. They provide a very generous grant to enable people with aHUS to get together and learn more about their disease, and meet other people who have aHUS. I went to my first meetup a little over a year ago, and I cried the entire time. Not because I was scared or frightened l, but because it was so refreshing to meet other people who knew what aHUS was! I learned so much that weekend. I have attended several other meet ups, and I continue learning.
Lance & Laura are both doing great. Laura is back to work FT. And Lance has started working a couple days/week.
Lance continues having labs done 2x/week, and he has a follow up appointment with the transplant team June 8.
Thank you, all, for continued prayers/love/light in this amazing journey. 💏💚 -Jacque

03/31/2016

Finally something cool about a tick. This really could lead to something cool.

Half a million-dollar tick University of Oxford and Monash University scientists have discovered how proteins present in tick saliva prevent the immune system from running amok.