This month's nomination for Great Figure in Transplant / Non-Transplant History is the American actor Gary Coleman (1968 - 2010), best known for his role in the television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes.
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May I say up front that I was not a fan of Diff'rent Strokes, so do not know much about Mr Coleman.
But in reading the obituaries that followed his death earlier this year, I noticed that he sought to overcome his early illness - focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) - and the debilitating effects of this illness in his career and in his life.
Certainly he was not always successful (notwithstanding the huge success of Diff'rent Strokes - but at least he was prepared to have a go.
As a side issue, if (and this is a very big if) the unverified MSNBC report listed below is correct - that his fall causing his fatal injury occurred after being unsteady on his feet after a dialysis session - then this also serves as a salutary lesson in the importance of resting and being cautious after dialysis.
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Wikipedia article
Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies at 42. BBC News, 29th May 2010
Gary Coleman’s fatal fall came after dialysis. MSNBC Today 1st June 2010
Gary Coleman's parents want to know how he fell, News.com.au, 31st May 2010
Samuel Goldsmith and Tina Moore, Gary Coleman's parents, who learned of his death through the media, want answers on how he died NY Daily News 30 May 2010 + video
Stephen M Silverman, Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies at 42, People.com, 28th May 2010
Bob
Tourtellotte, Gary Coleman dies after brain hemorrhage
