Since suffering incredible damage to his kidneys after contracting COVID-19 in March, Houston rapper Scarface is now searching for a healthy donor willing to give their kidney to replace his.
Houston-born Brad Jordan, who co-founded the legendary hip-hop crew Geto Boys with rappers Willie D and Bushwick Bill, confirmed in April that he had suffered kidney failure amid battling COVID-19. His former bandmate Bushwick Bill died of pancreatic cancer in 2019.
Scarface took to Twitter to find a potential donor.
“I need a kidney y’all any volunteers? B+ blood type,” Scarface tweeted.
In just two days after tweeting his need, Scarface offered an update:
“I’ve started the process to get a kidney transplant, I appreciate the love! it should take me 2-3 months to see if I’m a good candidate, in the meantime, you stay healthy, the list will open shortly thereafter and we can discuss who’s a match.. again I appreciate that y’all.”
Scarface confirmed to Fox 5 DC in June that his kidneys never fully recovered and he was on dialysis.
“COVID attacked my lungs first, and then it attacked my kidneys and knocked them out,” he told the outlet. “I got full lung recovery, but my kidneys never came back … I’m still a little weak. I don’t have a lot of strength in my legs yet. I still haven’t got full taste back and sense of smell yet. But I am glad to be alive.”
African Americans and Kidney Donations
Scarface seems to be one of the lucky ones. Historically, it’s not that easy for an African American to get a donated organ that matches the person’s blood type.
African Americans make up the largest group of minorities in need of an organ transplant. In 2018, African Americans made up 12.7 percent of the national population.
- The number of organ transplants performed on Black/African Americans in 2019 was 25.8 percent of the number of Black/African Americans currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on white Americans was 47.6 percent of the number currently waiting.
- While 28.7 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are Black/African Americans, they comprised 12.5 percent of organ donors in 2019.
- In 2019, 74.5 percent of donor organs from Black/African Americans were from deceased donors.
- Although the total number of white Americans on organ transplant waiting lists is about 1.4 times greater than that of Black/African Americans, the number of candidates waiting for a kidney transplant is almost the same between Black/African Americans and white Americans.
- Black/African Americans have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than the white population. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures.
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At every transplant center in the nation, African Americans are the least likely to receive a kidney from a living organ donor, according to
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