Corey King of Greensboro, North Carolina, is a fighter. After two strokes at the ages of 44 and 45 due to high blood pressure, nothing and no one was going to get in his way when he was later told he needed a kidney transplant.
His high blood pressure became so serious that it led to kidney failure. It was after his first stroke in 2021 that he was told he needed to start dialysis. Just a day after his first dialysis treatment in 2022, he had his second stroke.
“I was showing all the signs of kidney failure just before that second stroke. I had bad insomnia. I would eat and then throw up. I went to urgent care, and they sent me straight to the ER. My blood pressure was 244/144,” he explained.
After his second stroke, King was admitted to the hospital. He stayed in ICU for two weeks but was in the hospital for a month. Once he was released, he began both physical and speech therapy two times a week. He was going to dialysis three times a week.
“I started out with four hours of machine time, and then, after a couple of months, I was on for three hours and 45 minutes. And then after six months, I was down to three and a half hours,” he said.
About a year after the second stroke, he was put on a kidney transplant list. That was in 2023. It took that long for him to become strong enough to withstand a surgery of that magnitude.
I was told I couldn’t be on dialysis forever. It was just a band-aid anyway.
He applied for a kidney transplant at a couple of other transplant centers in the North Carolina area, but both rejected him. That was when his social worker told him to try MUSC.
“At that point, I said, ‘Why not?’ I think I was refused because I was using a walker when I went to the other hospitals, and they said I wasn’t ambulatory enough.”
He underwent a full evaluation at MUSC Lancaster, including a heart catheterization, stress test and mobility test. To his pleasant surprise, he was accepted and placed on the MUSC transplant list in March of 2023.
Two years later, in April of 2025, while at one of his dialysis appointments, he got the call that they had a kidney for him in Lancaster. It was to arrive that afternoon. By 4 p.m., he was in surgery.
Waiting on the kidney transplant list for two years and undergoing dialysis treatment during that time period, King was more than ready.
A long road to a short recovery
Driving 2½ hours from Greensboro to Lancaster for surgery and appointments was a bit of a haul for King, but it was all worth it in the end.His surgery went well; it was, in his words “uneventful.” “I was walking the next day,” he said.
King did experience a hematoma on the kidney about five or six weeks after the transplant surgery, but he said the doctors were able to relieve it fairly quickly and save the organ.
“I was recuperating, and I had to go back in for that, but all in all, I didn’t have too many issues.”
And now, a year later, King is doing great. He is on top of his blood pressure medications, and his kidney is functioning just fine. He has his labs pulled about every three months.
Ahmad Alqassieh, M.D., is the surgical director at MUSC Lancaster. He commented on how well King did during surgery and over the past year.
I remember him well. This process can be so unpredictable, but he did such a good job. Honestly, everything has gone better than I could have ever hoped for.
Director of Transplant Services and medical director of MUSC Lancaster’s Transplant Center, Prince Anand, M.D., noted that even though King had two strokes, he felt he was a good transplant candidate due to his age.
“This kidney is going to last a long time for him. To be doing as well as he is 13 months later tells me that he is taking good care of himself. The progression has been really good,” Anand added.
Many kidney transplants at MUSC Health involve high-risk patients, like people with high blood pressure. The good news is the kidney transplant surgeons at MUSC Health are certified by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, which means they have the expertise to handle even the most challenging cases.
“Even now, a year later, the care I receive has been great. They are really on top of things. They make sure I have all the medications I need, and they are very communicative. I would recommend them to anyone facing a kidney transplant. The support I have received from MUSC throughout my journey has been the best experience, and I am so blessed and grateful,” King said.
Theresa Stratford
Theresa Stratford is the editor for MUSC’s newspaper, The Catalyst. She has worked as a writer and editor for 25 years since graduating from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and mass communications. As a writer, she has worked for the federal government in cybersecurity and for the Department of Energy. As both a writer and an editor, she has worked for a variety of syndications, including national magazines, such as Vogue Knitting, as well as many local Charleston and South Carolina publications.
