Print

Mail

wiki links

Alonzo Mourning leaves hospital with cousin's kidney

Alonzo Mourning was released from the hospital, just days after receiving a kidney donated by a cousin he hadn't seen since childhood.

Mourning said Tuesday he was in "a lot of pain" as he left New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center where he underwent the transplant on Friday. He was joined by the cousin, Jason Cooper, a 30-year-old inactive Marine who lives in New York.

"Jason was definitely God-sent," Mourning said. "I'm very grateful. Words can't even be enough to explain how I feel."

Mourning, 33, retired on Nov. 24 because of complications from the kidney disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. He was diagnosed before the 2000-2001 season, when he was with the Miami Heat.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, affects the kidney filters that remove toxins from the blood. In the weeks before Mourning's retirement, tests showed that his kidney function had deteriorated and that the chemical imbalances in his blood made it dangerous for him to play.

In the weeks since his retirement, hundreds of people came forward as prospective donors.

After testing a number of would-be donors, including former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, Cooper was determined to be the best choice, doctors said.
This story has been viewed 2338 times.