06/04/2023
June 2022/Update June 2023
Dear Friends,
Some of you may know that I have kidney disease. Over time, my kidney disease has gotten worse causing my kidneys not to work well enough to keep me alive. This is what I am facing now, and my treatment options are limited to dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant.
In January 2020, at the age of 60, I started getting regular dialysis treatments. They are usually three times a week for four and a half hours at a time, to help my kidneys do their job and keep me alive. A kidney transplant would offer me more freedom and the ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life. A transplant would also give me more time to do the things I enjoy most, such as spending time with my family and friends, singing with my wife, Vicky, and being able to go back to church, Heritage Baptist Church.
However, finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy. Just ask the 100,000+ people on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney like me. Time is not on our side. Some wait for years; many die while waiting. The average wait time in Virginia is nine years for a kidney from a deceased donor. However, there is another option: receiving a kidney from a living donor.
Asking a family member or a friend to consider donating a kidney to me is difficult, but it greatly improves my chances of getting a transplant. A living kidney donation typically lasts longer and has better function.
You might not know a lot about living donation - I know I didn’t before kidney disease affected my life. Understandably, some people are afraid about the surgery and what living with one kidney will mean for them. Here’s some basic information about kidney donation:
-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 my insurance. The hospital can give you extensive information on this.
-You will have a separate team of healthcare professionals to evaluate you as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out for YOUR best interests.
You can also learn more about living donation on the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) website or by contacting the NKF’s free, confidential helpline at 855.NKF.CARES ((855) 653-2273) or nkfcares@kidney.org. If you want to talk to someone who’s already donated a kidney, NKF can also help.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If donating a kidney to me is something you would like to consider, I would be happy to tell you more about my story and explore the process of determining if you are a match for me. You can contact me at (434) 525-7313 (home), (434) 258-0397 (cell/texting), or evwells829@gmail.com (email). Then I will get you in contact with my transplant center directly for other questions and what you would do next.
However, I know living donation may not be right for everyone — but you can still help! FIRST, you can pray. Pray that God would provide me with a kidney in HIS time. You can pray about being an organ donor after death. And you can help me by sharing my 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 me receive a kidney sooner and encourage others to consider helping the many other people on the waiting list.
Thank you,
Ed Wells
UPDATE June 2023
I am still waiting for a kidney. It gets discouraging with all the emotional and physical ups and downs that I experience almost daily. I meet again this month with UVA in Charlottesville to see if I've accomplished all that they require to get on their kidney transplant list (increased stamina and mobility, getting my body fat percentage down to 40% or below, and no falls in 6 months). The no falls in 6 months has been difficult while at the same time trying to improve my stamina and mobility. I'm also waiting for a call from another transplant center (VCU in Richmond) to get added to their list and to improve my chances of getting a kidney transplant sooner.
Pray for me, please. This is not an easy road to travel. I'm thankful for my wife, Vicky, who is walking this road with me and caring for me and my needs, both medically, physically, and emotionally. Pray for her as my "caregiver" and the strength emotionally and physically this places on her. It is very demanding and she is having her own medical issues starting to show up which complicates things. We also discovered at the end of May that we have some issues with black mold in our A/C system. I'm sure this black mold is having an effect on our health. Vicky has been dealing with respiratory problems since October 2022.
My prayer is that in all that happens in our lives, that God would be glorified. I pray that people will see in us the God who love us. For me, being an encouragement to the patients and staff at my dialysis center here in Lynchburg every time I am in dialysis. And at Christmas time when I am "Santa Claus" at my dialysis center and other dialysis centers in the area. For Vicky and the ministry she has with sending cards and ministering to her lady friends.
Ed
