Don't worry about Alonzo Mourning's kidney. His doctor doesn't.
"Alonzo is in great physical shape right now," New York kidney specialist Dr. Gerald B. Appel said Tuesday, after the big center signed with the Heat. "It's really pretty amazing how well he is doing after all he has been through."
More than 14 months after a kidney transplant to treat a severe disease called focal glomerulosclerosis, Mourning is virtually back to normal in terms of athleticism and stamina, said Appel, nephrology director at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.
Heat fans remember the pre-transplant Mourning, who had to take many medications to counter the disease's effects.
"The situation now is so different than in the past," Appel said. "Then, he was playing with his own kidney, but it was a damaged kidney. There were 18 things that could go wrong."
Mourning today generally takes only one drug, to prevent his body from rejecting the kidney he received in December 2003 from his second cousin.
"Now he's playing with a healthy kidney and it's a world different. He's got more energy and he's in terrific shape. He played 35 minutes a game earlier this year," Appel said.