Rachael Eisenson of St. James, L.I., is in desperate need of a kidney after her own kidneys were irreversibly damaged due to illness in April.
She is not a candidate for dialysis because she was born with Familial Dysautonomia, a rare genetic neurological disorder that causes fluctuations in blood pressure and other complications. One in 27 Ashkenazi Jews are carriers of the genetic disorder, according to the Dysautonomia Foundation.
Eisenson, who celebrated her 27th birthday last week, is a graduate of the Solomon Schechter School in Commack, Smithtown High School and earned a bachelor’s of fine arts from Adelphi University in Garden City, L.I. She has nearly completed her master’s in fine arts and web design, finishing her last semester in May while hospitalized. She has a 3.85 GPA.
If a kidney donor were found with an “O” blood type, a transplant would be performed at the Weill Cornell University Hospital Kidney Transplant Program in Manhattan. Those wishing to donate a kidney for Rachael are asked to call the hospital’s Donor Team for Registration at (212) 746-3922 or email anr9118@nyp.org. There is no cost to the donor.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.