I received a mysterious FedEx package this morning. Usually packages sent via FedEx priority overnight are pretty important since it costs a bit of money to send. Since it was addressed to me and UCLA, I called the Transplant Center to find out more information. I ended up leaving a voicemail and also sending a message to them as well. The box inside the package was from a company called Natera and it also had the word Prospera on it.
Someone from UCLA did call me back after a few hours and said it was to collect blood samples for a DNA study. I remember enrolling in the program and agreeing to have a phlebotomist come to my house and draw blood. However, I did not receive any calls prior to receiving the package, which caused the confusion. Indeed, I just received a call from Natera to schedule the phlebotomist appointment. I mentioned I was going to UCLA’s Laguna Hills lab to draw blood next week, so I will just bring the kit with me and only get poked once.
The program is a tool for early detection of transplanted organ rejection. They test the blood for my sister’s DNA since it is in her donated kidney. However, the percentage should be very small. If they detect the amount of donor DNA increasing, it could mean the organ is being rejected by my immune system and spilling cell parts into the bloodstream. I had to sign a bunch of consent forms so I don’t know if I am a patient or a test subject. Either way, it seemed pretty clever.
Life with chronic diseases 