Mary Beth Barry

Kidney Donor Recipient

Retired, Elementary School Teacher, LA County

In January 2012, I was told I had end-stage renal failure, better known as kidney failure. What a body blow that was. Kidney failure is the silent killer; mine even more so than others. My kidney failure was diagnosed as being “idiopathic” which is a fancy word for “unknown cause”. The doctor who delivered my bad news was not optimistic. He led me to believe my only option was hemodialysis, with my life expectancy probably shortened significantly. I was stunned! Fortunately, I then went to UCLA for a second opinion from Drs. Minhtri Nguyen and Huma Hasnain. They both were very warm and treated me with respect and empathy. They too diagnosed kidney failure, but they gave me reason to have some hope for the future. They referred me to another UCLA physician, Dr. Anjay Rastogi. Thank God for their referral! Dr. Rastogi and his dedicated his team changed my trajectory. Dr. Rastogi is a recognized leader in this field, but he is more than an academician. He is a solicitous, caring, thoughtful professional, who will do his utmost to see that you have the best care possible for your kidney issue. His dedicated focus on kidney research and treatment promises to change how we look at and treat kidney disease, before and after the “end stage” diagnosis.

After four and a half years on dialysis I received a kidney on December 16 2016 from a deceased donor! That day I committed to joining Dr Rastogi’s CORE Kidney Team to be a part of educating, empowering, and offering hope to all those who are suffering! Join me in this cause!