RELEASE ON RECEIPT

For more information, phone: Palmira Arellano, 210-575-0172/325-2295 (cell) or Shirley Wills, 210-822-2378/365-4488 (cell)

Texas Transplant Institute Performs More Kidney Transplants from Living Donors Than Any Other Texas Program

SAN ANTONIO, TX…The Texas Transplant Institute is inviting all current and former patients to a reunion Saturday, October 23.

The reunion, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, will have an Olympic theme with a Transplant Village and an appearance by Olympic gold medalist Josh Davis. For the reunion, each patient will receive tickets to Fiesta Texas for themselves and one guest. Festivities will include music, games, appearances by park characters, and a buffet lunch.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) will set up a Transplant Recipient and Living Donor Tribute Wall at the reunion. UNOS coordinates the nation’s organ transplant system, providing vital services to meet the needs of men, women and children awaiting life-saving organ transplants.

The Texas Transplant Institute is home to the largest and most experienced kidney transplant programs in Texas with more than 2,000 kidney transplant operations and the most experienced minimally invasive laparoscopic donor nephrectomy team in Texas. More living donors have given a kidney to a friend, family member or other individual here than through any other Texas Program.

During the first 20 days of August, 2004, the surgeons at Texas Transplant Institute performed a record 20 transplants. This number was more than any other transplant center in the United States during that time, according to UNOS. The Texas Transplant Institute, a member of Methodist Healthcare in San Antonio, offers blood and marrow stem cell, heart, liver, kidney and pancreas transplant programs, and end-stage disease management. The Adult Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Program is located at Methodist Hospital and the Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Program is located at Methodist Children’s Hospital. The Organ Transplant Programs are located at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, and the new Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis Programs are located at Methodist Children’s Hospital.

For more information on the reunion or to make a reservation, phone the Methodist Healthcare HealthLine at 210-575-0355 or toll free at 1-800-333-7333.