Dear Family and Friends,
I want to share with you a very personal issue I am facing. As you may or may not know, I am in end stage renal failure and need a transplant as soon as possible, hopefully before going on dialysis. I didn’t realize until I was 24 years old and getting my military physical that I was one of those babies. Too bad I don’t do that well in the Texas lottery. But the good news,
people can live long, healthy lives with only one kidney. In retrospect, having one kidney has been a blessing and maybe even a life saver for me. God has blessed me with a full life through the years as my one kidney, although functionally declining now, has been strong and healthy. But several years ago my doctor told me my kidney function had declined to the point where I was in trouble and I would shortly need dialysis or a transplant. The best option for me to have a better and longer life is a transplant. A deceased donor transplant is a possibility, but could take years. On the other hand, a living donor kidney transplant can be done without delay and has significant additional benefits including a kidney which is higher quality, begins to function more quickly, lasts longer and works better than kidneys from deceased donors. As my kidney continues to fail, all the essential functions of filtering blood, removing waste via urine, producing necessary hormones, balancing minerals and maintaining fluid levels are deteriorating. As a result, I have been on a multitude of medications which alone are not enough. It also means a very restrictive diet. Without a transplant, dialysis is the only way to sustain life by artificially filtering waste and toxins. Dialysis does not effectively replace the kidney and negatively impacts the body, shortens life expectancy and makes future kidney transplantation more difficult and maybe not possible. Not only that, but the long hours of dialysis each week are physically debilitating and dramatically change day-to-day life. Without a transplant, I begin dialysis in a few months, the first step prior to actual dialysis treatments will be surgically implanting an access port in my arm or stomach to perform the fluid exchanges, followed by sufficient time to allow healing, possibly 3 – 4 months. All that being said, my having only one kidney has again demonstrated to me God’s handiwork in turning negatives to positives. It reminds me of Job, Joseph and even Jesus, where God took very negative situations and reversed their course to very positive for them personally, as well as, a great number of people around them. In my case, without the tests in preparation to be listed in the transplant database, an unknown heart artery blockage would not have been found and fixed. I truly believe that throughout my life, faith in Christ and the prayers of others, even when I didn’t know or appreciate it, have sustained and protected me. For those of you who know me well, know I want to be in charge, control the situation and do it myself. Well, this time, I can’t do it myself and it is completely out of my control. I have been humbled like never before by offers of prayer and help. God is in control and, if it’s His will, it will be through your prayers and help that my situation will be improved. I’m telling you my story because 1) I would like your prayers and 2) I need your help in letting others know my situation in the hope that they too will pray and again, if it is God’s will, someone will be able to meet my need. With prior approval, most transplant recipients’ insurance companies will pay the donor’s transplant medical expenses including necessary testing which can be done in the donor’s location. If you or someone you know would like additional information regarding donation and transplantation, please contact The Baylor Scott & White Annette C. and Harold C. Sammons Transplant Institute at (214)820-4438 or their web site httpx://livingdonordallas.org.
