Our tissue matching results

Good news today. All three of us that were tested are still matching well with Tyler. Steve has 3 out of 6, Tiff has 4 out of 6 as well as myself. So as the nurse said, he is very very lucky!!! I will be going ahead with the next step which is the kidney ultrasound hopefully by the end of this week. This will be a big step for us to see if my kidneys are healthy and would be a good match in his body. If not then Steve will get one done and so on. Below, I attached what the matching antigens mean for a kidney transplant. I guess those Timmers genes are just as strong as we thought!  Other than that, we just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has already expressed they would be tested for Tyler. We have always known that we had a great family and great friends, but we feel so blessed to have such love, help and concern from everyone.

Susanne and Steve

                

Tissue Matching
Tissue matching is a very complex area involving testing the similarity of certain proteins, called antigens, between the donor and recipient, which are defined through blood tests. We all have many genes, some of which determine the expression of these antigens. For kidney transplantation, we currently look at six of these, called major histo-compatibility complex or HLA antigens. By analyzing which six of these specific antigens both individuals have, we are able to determine the closeness of tissue matching. A six-antigen match (both people have the same set of six antigens) is the best compatibility between a donor recipient pair who is not identical twins. This match occurs 25 percent of the time between siblings having the same mother and father and also occurs from time-to-time in the general population.
Long-term outcomes in kidney transplantation do relate to matching (as well as other factors), which is the reason for seeking the best possible match. Analysis of thousands of transplants consistently shows that six-antigen matched kidneys have the best statistical results, followed progressively by five antigens, and then four antigens, etc. For this reason, when a close match is available, it is preferred.