J.D. Palm, a McEachern senior basketball player once rated the No. 1 center prospect in the nation, was in surgery at Emory University Hospital on Thursday morning to remove his kidneys, the progressive result of a rare disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS.
Palm has not played or practiced since end of last season. He urgently needs a transplant.
“We’re desperate, and we need people to get tested to see if they’re a match,’’ McEachern coach Tremayne Anchrum Sr. said. “His kidneys were working at 10% and dropping, and they shut down. He needs help.’’
Palm played his junior season almost as a part-time player as the disease progressed, sapping his stamina. He began dialysis treatment in April, when he learned he needed a transplant. The wait time is typically about 11 months.
Former NBA star Alonzo Mourning, who was a 6-10 center like Palm, was diagnosed with FSGS in 2002, when he was 32 and at the height of his career. He missed one season but played five more. Mourning, now 53, reached out to the family shortly after Palm’s diagnosis to offer encouragement.
Palm and his mother, Candice, talked to the AJC in April about his struggle.
“I’m just trying to stay focused, do what the doctor says and not get down on myself,” Palm said.
“J.D. is very quiet; he doesn’t let people know how he feels,” said his mother. “You may see him smile and think things are good, but you never know with him. So I try to encourage him every day and tell him he can fight this. And hopefully soon we can do this transplant.”
