Need HELP

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing this letter to express my desire to pursue the option of a kidney transplant for my wife Sherry.  She has kidney disease and according to her nephrologists, a transplant is the treatment for patients with end stage kidney disease. We have been told that a living donor transplant is the best-case scenario to continue living a healthy life. At this point in her life, we are hoping to move towards a transplant while her physicians and transplant team feel that she is still medically suitable to undergo the procedure. The organ waitlist for deceased donors could be a possible 10 year wait at the present time. As that is a long period of time and much further into the future, she might be unsure of her health status and medical suitability for a transplant at that time. People generally have more energy, a less restricted diet, and fewer complications with a kidney transplant than if they stay on conventional dialysis. You might have heard that dialysis is a treatment option for kidney disease. She now goes to dialysis 3 times a week for 4 to 5 hours a day. Dialysis treatments take every bit of strength from her body; she is tired ALL THE TIME, feels weak and her nerves are on edge ALL THE TIME. We have learned that dialysis does not completely replace a normal kidney’s function. The dialysis machine only performs 10-15% of a normal kidney’s function of filtering toxins in her body.

Our goal is to be able to see all our grandchildren graduate college. Our four boys are the most wonderful thing in her life and every minute she spends with them fills her with joy. Our oldest grandson has just started Harvard and the youngest just finished kindergarten. After 51 years of marriage I still I love my wife and want to spend many more wonderful occasions with her.

You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.

           Most donor surgery is done laparoscopically, meaning through tiny incisions.

           The recuperation period is usually fairly quick, generally two weeks.

           The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by her insurance.

           You will have a separate team of healthcare professional to evaluate you.

We recently learned that one does not have to be an exact blood type or match, as long as they are healthy enough to be a donor. Piedmont Hospital has a paired exchange program whereby if you are not a match to her, you can donate to someone else and that person’s loved one donates their kidney back to her at the same time. By doing this, you would be helping two people if you participate in this program. There is financial support for donors to avoid out of pocket costs like hotel stay or flight to Atlanta.

Prospective donors can get a work-up and do so without telling us, in case they want to simply inquire about the process. Getting worked-up does not indicate commitment to do the transplant. I am aware that the transplant team and the donor have final say on whether a transplant would go forward. As previously mentioned, we are doing this with the hope that it may yield a positive result for her overall health. The facts are that after recovery, donors can play the same sports and activities that they did before they donated a kidney.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. If donating a kidney to her is something you would like to consider, I would be happy to tell you more about our story and explore the process of determining if you are a match for her. You can also contact her transplant center directly at Piedmont Hospital – Adom Chernet 404-605-2489.

However, I know living donation may not be right for everyone — but you can still help! Consider being an organ donor after death and also or help me by sharing her story with everyone you know. At the very least I want to bring awareness to kidney disease and living donation. I am hopeful my efforts will help her receive a kidney sooner and encourage others to consider helping the many people on the wait list.

Thank you,

Mark Hersh -  770-639-9778