I've had a kidney transplant, can I adopt?

All I had to give my homestudy agency or placing agency was a medical form from my doctor; it wanted to know my general state of health (had a check box for excellent, good, fair, or poor) and what medications I take. As long as she didn't say I wasn't healthy enough to adopt it wasn't a problem.

You must be completely honest about your medical history...to do anything else might exclude you from being approved. Now...depending on your state...your medical questioning could be very minor, or it could be very detailed. Before you even go any farther, I would ask an agency or a social worker if this issue is going to exclude you from being home-study approved. I would certainly hope not...but you never know. As for whether an expectant mom should be told...personally I believe she has the right to know something this important about the person adopting her child. I think so especially because you are single. While I am sure it may seem 'routine' to you to have a kidney transplant...I think most of us would view that as a pretty major surgery and since you would be the sole parent for the baby, I believe an expectant mom should know all of this. I do not believe it would exclude you from the minds of every expectant mom...but it might for some. Best of luck to you!!

Hi and welcome! We had to fill out medical forms and get a dr signature saying we were healthy to adopt. The forms vary by agency as to how extensive they are... our current agency has an extensive form, where the first was very brief. I agree with what another person said, you could ask an agency if htey think it'd be a problem... just to get a feel for what their expectation or concerns might be. :D I certainly hope it won't be an issue, I wish you well on your adoption journey. :D

I have a lung condition that had me go through a heart/lung transplant evaluation. In the end, we were able to do some other things and I never made the list. I did disclose my disease, but what they looked for was whether my doctor said I was healthy enough to raise a child to adulthood. When I talked to my cardiologist, I told him I really needed to be sure I was healthy enough because I didn't want to leave the child with another loss. The only thing they looked at was my doctor's statement and my homestudy says something about I was ill but am not fine. You are much younger than me, and maybe by the time you would require another transplant other alternatives may be available. Who knows? I think you should definitely try, but be honest. Good luck!

I had a kidney transplant and now I'm on the list for my second. I adopted two kids through the foster care system. They were both newborns when I adopted them. I was upfront about my health issues and it was not a problem. I had to write down what meds I was on and I had to get a letter from my doctor stating that I was healthy enough to adopt. Now, I'm not sure how things work with an agency and a emom choosing you. I disagree with having to put your medical history out there for emoms to see. You can go 15 to 20 years with a kidney transplant and you may not need another one until your potential child is a teenager. Just like a healthy aparent can get cancer or die in a car accident. You never know what can happen. You do need to make sure you have a great support system. In case you get sick you need to be sure you have someone there to help you. I would say that's true for any single parent but especially one who has had medical issues. I'm going on 13 years with my kidney transplant. Hopefully the next one I get lasts me a lot longer! Good luck!

I had a kidney transplant 3 months ago. My (adopted) son is almost 4 years old. I disclosed my polycystic kidney disease to the agency and to my son's birthfamily before the adoption. I knew I would likely have kidney failure at some point but I honestly didn't know it would be so soon, and neither did my doctors. On another note, my son's birthmom is a hairdresser and she was cutting a woman's hair and came to find out that ther client had a kidney transplant and then adopted through the same agency that we used! Talk about a small world! So...yes, I believe in disclosing that you have had a transplant. I also hope you are taking the best care of yourself possible so you can tell an emom that you are doing all you can to ensure good health. Btw, I also did a new protocol where I got a stem cell transplant form my donor and am expecting to completely go off immunosupressants within one year from transplant. The hope is that I won't need another transplant since I won't take drugs that damge the donor kdiney. There are so many new things happening...the future might be brighter than ever for you.

I had a bone marrow transplant & ok to foster/adopt in TX. Good luck!

Thanks so much for all of the info and stories. I really appreciate it!

I had a kidney transplant in 1997 and we adopted domestically in 2006. My birthmom saw my medical history and actually never really asked about it. I asked my nephroilogust to write a letter about my current health status and he laos write that there was no reason that I could not parent a child. Good luck to you in your adoption journey. If it can happen for me it can certainly for you!!!

HiSorry I know that this is 5 years later but I was really interested in how you got in. I am in the same position as yourself - 26, single with a kidney transplant and looking to adopt in the next few years. I have had some issues with my condition and bureaucracy before and I am worried this will be a barrier to me adopting. I'm UK based.Thank you x