You may recognize Jill Morton from the US and World Transplant Games, where she earned the gold medal for women’s singles tennis four times over. What you may not know is that, in addition to being a single, working mother living successfully with a transplant, Jill is an inspiring advocate for transplantation—both on the court and off.
Jill’s transplant story
Both Jill and her mother were diagnosed with a genetic disorder, called polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Years after her mother’s PKD necessitated a kidney transplant, a pregnancy-related spike in Jill’s blood pressure caused complications with her kidney function until she, too, was in need of a new kidney. But thanks to the generosity of a Good Samaritan donor halfway across the world, and the support of her transplant team, Jill was able to receive her transplant in 2003 with few complications.
Honoring her remarkable gift
Learning from her mother’s personal journey with transplantation, Jill immediately understood the importance of the remarkable gift she had been given and continued to maintain a healthy lifestyle: eating right, exercising, and, especially, taking her medications exactly as her physician directed. Jill’s physician has determined that Jill should continue to take brand name Prograf and as a result she takes the time to communicate that to her pharmacist, transplant coordinator, and insurance provider. This ensures Jill will receive the brand name Prograf® (tacrolimus) capsules intended for her by her doctor.
What is Prograf?
PROGRAF is a prescription medicine used with other medicines to help prevent organ rejection in people who have had a kidney, liver, or heart transplant. PROGRAF is not for use with medicines called cyclosporines (Gengraf®, Neoral®, and Sandimmune®) and is not for use with a medicine called sirolimus (Rapamune®) in people who have had a liver or heart transplant. It is not known if PROGRAF is safe and effective when used with sirolimus in people who have had kidney transplants. It is not known if PROGRAF is safe and effective in children who have had kidney or heart transplants.
