My Story - Kidney disease

06/11/2025

My kidney function has deteriorated, and I have advanced to stage 5 kidney failure. Consequently, I have been added to the active list for a deceased donor kidney transplant. Due to my blood type, I may face a waiting period of up to 4 years for a transplant. Please help spread the word about the 100,000 people waiting for a transplant.

10/02/2024

Good news. My kidney function has been stable since mid May!

08/08/2024

Good news - for the past 12 weeks my kidney function has been stable. Something I didn’t think could happen after 2 years of steady declines.

So grateful!

Please consider being a living donor.

06/23/2024

My wife was evaluated as a kidney donor over the past month. Despite in being in good general health the surgeon decided her kidneys would not meet the transplant criteria.

Please consider being a Living donor. Individuals who wish to be considered to donate a kidney must contact the Living Kidney Donation Program (University of Michigan) at 1-800-333-9013 to indicate their interest in donation(link is external).

Please like and share this post.

University of Michigan Living Kidney Donation Program at 1-800-333-9013 has all the information you need to help with the process of kidney donation.

05/26/2024

If you have a family history of kidney disease, you may want to have a genetic test for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). Learn more at https://www.invitae.com/us/providers/test-catalog/test-55008

Genetic testing for genes associated with cystic kidney disease including but not limited to Alport syndrome, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and nephrotic syndrome. Cystic kidney conditions are genetically heterogeneous disorders representing a spectrum of hereditary renal conditions. Th...

05/22/2024

Good news! I've completed the transplant evaluation process at University of Michigan and they have added me to the deceased donor waiting list. Wait time can be 5 years. My wife will start the evaluation process to be a donor next month. She is not a match for me based on blood type, but could aid in helping me get a transplant through the paired exchange program.

If you are interested in learning more about kidney donation, contact U of M:

- 1-800 333-9013 Select option #1 at each prompt
- Email - Txp-Donors@med.umich.edu
- Online form- https://michmed.org/BAmkb

Please share this post to help me get the word out about kidney donation. 100,000 people are on the deceased donor wait list. 20,000 will receive transplants this year. 12 people die each day because there are not enough donors.

Form used to collect basic information on potential interested living donors for transplant recipients at Michigan Medicine.

05/09/2024

I have polycystic kidney disease. It is a genetic disorder that is quite common, although some people can live their whole life without knowing it. It is estimated 500,000 people in the U.S. have it. There is no cure. There is 1 drug approved for treatment. Life style changes are the best way to slow the progression. For more info click the link below.

Please consider being a Living Kidney donor. Will you share this post on you feed?

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/polycystic-kidney-disease/what-is-pkd #:~:text=PKD%20is%20one%20of%20the,people%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=ADPKD%20affects%201%20in%20every,affects%201%20in%2020%2C000%20children.

Learn about causes and signs of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The sooner you know you have PKD, the sooner you can keep your condition from getting worse.

05/04/2024

Nat Geo did a video on what it means to be a living donor. Please share this post and video .

Watch the personal story of Hendrik Gerrits as he donates his kidney to a stranger, setting off a kidney donor chain that becomes a life-changing experience ...

05/04/2024

This slide is a little old, but the trend is the same. Today there are between 80,000 and 1000,000 people in the U.S. waithing for a kidney. Please consider donating.

04/18/2024

I have polcystic kidney disease (PKD). It is a common genetic disease that causes a slow decline in kidney function. I am getting close to the point where my kidneys will need help, either through dialysis or transplant. I created the linked page to raise awareness about PKD and becoming a living kidney donor. Please take a minute to give it a look. Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558019833860&mibextid=LQQJ4d

This page is to encourage people to consider being a living kidney donor.

04/16/2024

Living Donation

It is possible I could get a transplant from a living donor within the next year if someone would be willing to donate a kidney to me. Living donors don't need to be biologically related to me, but our blood types would need to be compatible. Also, living donors can't have diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney problems themselves.

Donors that are not a match to me, can still donate into a "paired Donor" program. Their kidney would be matched with a suitable recipient that had a donor that matched me. Medical costs for donors are paid by the recipient. There are organizations that can help with other donation related costs. The donor surgery is laparoscopic with a 1-2 day hospital stay.

For these reasons I am asking for your help in spreading the word. To learn more, please go to www.ExploreTransplant.org. If you are willing to help share my need for a living donor with your community of friends and family, I would appreciate it. It's very hard to bring this up with people myself. It is possible that one of them, or someone they know, would want to help me or someone else.

Finally, if you feel called to do so, you are invited to consider becoming a living donor for me. I know that this is a personal decision that isn't right for everyone. For more information, the website I mentioned above has a video of actual living donors sharing their experiences.

For additional information about living donation, please contact the Michigan Medicine Transplant Center living kidney donor coordinator at 800-333-9013. Their website is linked. They will be glad to answer your questions.

https://www.uofmhealth.org/conditions-treatments/transplant/living-and-paired-kidney-donation

University of Michigan Living Kidney Donation Program at 1-800-333-9013 has all the information you need to help with the process of kidney donation.

04/16/2024

What is Polycystic Kidney Disease?

PKD is actually a common genetic disorder that affects about 500,000 people in the United States. The disease progresses at varying rates, so some people may never know they have it.

As the name suggests, the kidneys develop cysts (fluid sacks) and this reduces the kidneys ability to function. The deterioration of the kidney varies widely so research is difficult.

My father and his sister both had PKD. My dad's kidney function did not become an issue for him until his 80's. My condition is worse. This is good news, in that it opens up the opportunity to get a kidney transplant.

If anyone in your family has had kidney issues, please get checked. An ultrasound and some bloodwork is all that is required. Genetic testing is also available.

Learn about causes and signs of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The sooner you know you have PKD, the sooner you can keep your condition from getting worse.