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Valen Keefer Praises Donors Who Give Life to Transplant Recipients Like Her

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COVID-19 being what it is, Valen Keefer’s speech at the grand opening of CareDx’s newly expanded CLIA lab in Brisbane, California was a unique virtual event.

Valen was there as a virtual robot, sharing her inspiring story and leading the countdown for the ribbon cutting.

“Being a transplant recipient is a lifelong journey and having the opportunity to celebrate this new lab is so amazing,” said “Robot” Valen.

Valen’s journey as a multi-organ transplant recipient has been a compelling one—to say the very least.

She has lived through polycystic kidney disease (PKD), dialysis, lengthy hospital stays, a kidney transplant, and a liver transplant. She is a survivor through and through, with a prodigious passion for helping the transplant community.

Read Valen’s full story, here.

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Alexandra Harrison-Flaxman—How a Transplant Recipient Became a Legislation Advocate

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“The passage of the Immuno Bill is not just a win for the patient community …” says Alexandra Harrison-Flaxman “… it’s a win because of the patient community.”

On December 22, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed S. 3353 – Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplants Patients Act of 2020 (The Immuno Bill).

Earlier, on December 8, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5534, which set up the Senate vote.

The bi-partisan passage of the Immuno Bill now awaits the President’s signature.

Getting the bill passed has been Alexandra’s (“Alex’s”) passion for several years now and she says she cried when watching both the House and Senate pass the legislation.

“I was thinking, ‘This is crazy,’ I’ve just been a part of enacting actual change for kidney-transplant recipients,” says Alex, 34.

Read Alexandra’s full story, here.

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