At the age of 47, at the peak of his health and profession, Dr. M. P. Ravindra Nathan, a.k.a. Ravi Nathan developed a serious, incurable kidney disease called IgA Nephropathy that will inexorably progress to kidney failure necessitating a kidney transplant. His initial bewilderment and shock gave way to severe anxiety not knowing what the future held for him.
Fortunately, with the help of his family, notably his sister who donated one of her kidneys to me, and his wife who attended to him every step of the way, plus a group of good doctors, and friends, he survived the many crises and achieved some stability in life. His eventual recovery from a serious illness after going through a complicated course is a true testament to the miracle of modern medicine. Twenty three years have passed since his kidney transplant and his kidney is maintaining normal function and he continues to be active, loving every moment of life.
In "Second Chance" Dr. Nathan shares his unique perspective regarding the role of kidneys in your body, what happens when they fail, what are the options for treatment and what is involved in getting a kidney transplant. Because of the multiple complications, it took almost a year for complete recovery but he never gave up hope. The main reason he wrote this book is to educate the readers - both lay public and medical personnel - that a kidney transplant is the best treatment for kidney failure and, even if you encounter complications during or after surgery, with proper management you can recover and live to enjoy your life for many years.
This book takes you through the intricate details of how kidney failure could happen to anybody, even to someone who is apparently in good health. Yes, even to a physician familiar with the inner workings of the body and preventive care. But "dis-ease" can happen to anyone--even doctors could become seriously ill, necessitating an organ transplant.
Ultimately, Dr. Nathan recommends that we need to trust our own body--the beauty, resiliency and ability for its recovery, no matter how ravaged it is with disease processes. He hopes the readers will enjoy this book and find inspiration from his story. It was indeed a fascinating journey for him albeit a long one, that began sometime in 1989, and finally ended successfully in 1995. As of this writing Dr. Nathan continues to enjoy his life with a functioning transplanted kidney.
