Former Whaler star Michael Ferreira takes it
ONE DAY AT A TIME IN KIDNEY FIGHT
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
He's back playing basketball again, which is good news indeed for former Whaler standout Michael Ferreira.

The outlook wasn't as good a month ago, and basketball, in fact, was about the farthest thing from his mind. Ferreira was in Mass. General Hospital, anticipating a second kidney transplant. He had received one of his mother's kidneys six years ago and everything was relatively fine through his high school years and beyond - until his body inexplicably rejected the kidney earlier this summer.

His creatinine level had jumped alarmingly, sending him into the hospital. "The normal number is 2.3," his father Tom said. "He was up to about 14 a month ago. At the time they said he was probably going to need another transplant."

Boston Globe columnist Jackie McMullan wrote a story about Michael's situation, prompting several people to contact Tom. "People came forward - a couple of people in the community were very serious about wanting to donate one of their kidneys. Four people in the family are a match, including both of his aunts. I wish I was, but I'm not."

The transplant that appeared so imminent just a month ago, however, has been put on hold. An increase in Michael's medication seems to be working, and his all-important creatinine levels are dropping. "The last time it was 4.6," his father said. "It's just a week by week thing. He's taking some shots. Thirty percent of his kidney got damaged and there's still a chance he's going to need another one, but there's also a chance he's going to stablize.

"So far it's been good," he continued. "It doesn't have to happen right away."

For Michael, the blood tests and monthly checkups at Mass. General are little compared to what he faced just over a month ago. "I feel a lot better than I did," he says. "I'm just on a lot more medication." He is scheduled for his next checkup in two weeks.

He is beyond words, of course, that family members and fellow islanders are willing to donate a kidney as his mother, Dawna, did six years ago, but it's understandable that he'd like to put off the grueling operation for as long as possible. "Hopefully, if the numbers keep going down, I won't have to have one," he said.

He's able to play pickup ball, and is at the high school gym a couple of nights a week. Call it good timing, but the Cape Cod Frenzy, the Hyannis-based American Basketball Association team Michael had been working out with before landing in the hospital last month, will sit out the 2007-08 season as the team tries to secure a permanent venue. "They've actually taken a year off because they're trying to build a stadium on the Cape," he said. Michael can focus most of his energies on getting well, and on helping his brother, Jordan, and his teammates on the current Whalers' basketball team.

"Everything's pretty normal right now," the 21-year-old says. "I'm going to try to coach again, help out with the

high school team." I