"TO PLANT A GARDEN IS TO BELIEVE IN TOMORROW"
Jim has so much to offer our world and has faith that someone will come through for him. Him and his wife Shirley are both devoted to the joy of gardening and creating beauty for others to enjoy. Jim owns and operates Leaf Landscape Design Center in Mequon, and Shirley is the director of Milwaukee’s nationally recognized Boerner Botanical Gardens. When Jim tried to enlist during the Vietnam War, the doctors determined he was ineligible because of acute nephritis—a kidney inflammation. As a result, he re-enrolled at the University of Wisconsin and earned a degree in landscape architecture. Jim taught horticulture at Milwaukee Area Technical College for 36 years and opened Leaf Land in1986. He thrives on designing and working with his clients, new and longstanding. He was thrilled last spring when one of them celebrated her 104th birthday. Jim is a dad and has two grandchildren, and he is a kind soul who is very generous with his time, donations and support for anyone who needs it. THE TIMING IS CRITICAL. Jim’s health problem intensified four years ago, and he is now in end-stage renal failure. His kidneys are no longer functioning to clear his body of toxins. He’s been on dialysis since October of 2019, the machine drawing out his blood and cleansing it. He goes in with a positive attitude three days a week at 5:30 a.m. so he can get to work by ten, but the process can be very painful, and frequently, when it’s over, his blood pressure is below 60. Jim MUST find a living kidney donor quickly--a generous and compassionate person willing to save his life. His doctors say it’s his only option, and if it doesn’t very happen soon, he won’t be eligible. He’s 73, and 75 is the cutoff for receiving a transplant. He would stay on dialysis, with its frightening time limit—the national average for living on the machine is 3-5 years. Consider becoming Jim Walczak's kidney donor. Learn more by checking out these links:
1. Living Kidney Donation Process:
uwhealth.org/living-kidney/introduction-to-living-kidney-donation/51740
2. Living Donor Options:
uwhealth.org/living-kidney/options-for-living-kidney-donation/51743
3. Donor Registration Form:
uwhealthtransplant.donorscreen.org/register/now
