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'American Idol's' Scott MacIntyre needs new kidney in 6 months to avoid dialysis

It's not the first challenge Scott MacIntyre has faced. The singer, 29, who placed eighth on the 2009 season of "American Idol," is almost completely blind, and was diagnosed with kidney failure as a teen. He had a kidney transplant at age 22 and now needs another."Unfortunately, transplanted kidneys don't last forever," he tells People magazine on Monday. He's hoping for a transplant within the
IMAGE: Scott MacIntyre
Scott MacIntyreMichael Becker / Getty Images

It's not the first challenge Scott MacIntyre has faced. The singer, 29, who placed eighth on the 2009 season of "American Idol," is almost completely blind, and was diagnosed with kidney failure as a teen. He had a kidney transplant at age 22 and now needs another.

IMAGE: Scott MacIntyre
Scott MacIntyre performs live on \"American Idol\" on March 17, 2009.Michael Becker / Today

"Unfortunately, transplanted kidneys don't last forever," he tells People magazine on Monday. He's hoping for a transplant within the next six months; otherwise, he'll need to go on dialysis, a procedure with which he's very familiar.

"I had to go on dialysis while I was waiting to see if I got my kidney the first time around," MacIntyre told People. "Going on dialysis would change a lot about what I am able to do. I would not be able to perform or work, really, until a kidney was found. Dialysis is life-preserving, but it is a bad quality of life." 

MacIntyre says he's found support in his wife Christina and in his Christian faith. "Many times when I have been dealing with uncertainty and change in my life, I hold on to hope in the midst of a circumstance that can seem hopeless," he said.

MacIntyre's news is just the latest sad news from "American Idol" veterans. Over the weekend, it was announced that season-seven contestant Joanne Borgella had died at age 32 from endrometrial cancer.

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