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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAlmost: the best date-specific account says Gary Coleman lived without kidneys for about 24 years and five months, from December 31, 1985, until his death in 2010. That supports “nearly 25 years,” rather than exactly 25.
What happened to Gary Coleman’s kidneys?
Coleman was born with serious kidney problems and underwent two kidney transplants by age 14, according to his Los Angeles Times obituary. The obituary also reported that medication used in his treatment permanently stunted his growth.
His second transplant failed. A 1990 Los Angeles Times feature said that by then he had no kidneys and was performing self-dialysis. This contemporaneous account establishes that the condition was being reported during his lifetime, though it is not a clinical record.
When did he live without kidneys?
The clearest specific date comes from a later account. In 2024, The Spokesman-Review, carrying a New York Daily News report, quoted Coleman’s former manager and longtime friend Dion Mial speaking in the documentary Gary: “From Dec. 31 of 1985 until his death, Gary lived without a single kidney in his body. He then started on dialysis.”
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Since Coleman died in 2010, those dates amount to about 24 years and five months. The precise start date is Mial’s recollection as reported in connection with the documentary; it has not been independently established here through medical records. The cautious answer is that Coleman lived without kidneys for nearly 25 years.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did dialysis support him?
Dialysis performs some of the filtering work that functioning kidneys ordinarily do. It can sustain a person who has no functioning kidneys, but it does not mean that a kidney has been restored or that a transplant is working. The 1990 Los Angeles Times report described Coleman as doing self-dialysis, and a 2010 CBS profile also described his congenital kidney disease, transplants, and frequent dialysis.
Why accounts give different schedules
The reports do not establish one consistent dialysis schedule. The 1990 feature says he performed self-dialysis four times a day; the 2024 report says dialysis three days a week for four hours a day. These accounts may refer to different methods or periods, but neither report explains the difference. They should not be combined into a single confirmed regimen.
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