Living kidney donor documentary to air on Hawaii News Now

Lou Ann Plumber Andrade (left) of Lahaina on Dec. 18, 2014 donated a kidney to Adarsh Goyal.
WAILUKU – The National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii has created an original, local documentary on living kidney donations.
The first show will air on KHNL on Thursday, July 2, at 6:30 p.m.
The documentary tells the stories of life-saving kidney donations in Hawaii and presents the human side of kidney disease and kidney donation by living donors.
One donor featured in the five-part series is Lou Ann Plumber Andrade of Lahaina, who traveled to the Miami Transplant Institute at the University of Miami Medical Center to donate a kidney to Adarsh Goyal, 54, of Coconut Creek, Florida, on Dec. 18, 2014.
Andrade, 49, said she saw a plea on Facebook by Goyal’s daughter and was “compelled by a power higher than myself” to help a complete stranger.
Kidney donations require important blood and tissue matches, but Andrade said she “just knew” she could help.
She was in Florida for seven weeks. Goyal’s family reimbursed Andrade for her expenses.
Andrade helped the homeless in Lahaina at the Salvation Army-Lahaina Corps until two years ago. She said she was tired of donating time and money, and wanted to take giving to a higher level.
She said she feels great. “Donors live longer because we feel better,” Andrade added.
Kidney disease can strike anyone. In Hawaii, it is estimated that more than 162,000 people of all ages have the disease, and another 100,000 people are at risk for the disease.
According to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, “That is a huge segment of our population, and many people don’t even know they are sick during the early stages or that they may be at risk for the disease later in life. Don’t miss your opportunity to discover some of the stories behind the statistics.”