Former Bolton striker Ivan Klasnic fighting for survival after kidney failure following two failed transplants
Croatian forward has undergone two kidney transplants from his parents but his body has rejected the organ
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FORMER Bolton striker Ivan Klasnic is fighting for survival after kidney failure.
The Croatian forward, 36, underwent a transplant in 2006 but the organ donated by his mother was rejected by his body.
A kidney donated from his father a year later looked to have saved his life - but now he has been told by doctors that he must have a third transplant.
The former Premier League striker is currently waiting to see if there is a living donor that could be a match.
Following the 2007 transplant, Klasnic returned to football and moved from Bremen to Bolton, where he netted 20 times in 77 games.
Possible donors related to the player, such as siblings, appear to no longer be an option because his body has now formed antibodies which make relatives’ organs too dangerous to transplant.
Klasnic has to go to his local hospital in the German city of Hamburg three times a week for dialysis.
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After his dialysis appointments, Klasnic takes his 9-year-old daughter Fabianna home from school, where he cooks food for her and helps her with her homework.
He said: "Everything should be like normal for her. She knows I am sick and often need to go to the hospital, but she does not know why. I do not want to scare her."
Local reports said he would need to rely on deceased organ donors and wait to get to the top of the list - in Germany the waiting time is on average seven years.
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