Giving the Gift of Life: Repair Rusty's Kidney

03/03/2026

A favorite phrase of mine, sharing is caring! Perfect article to read about becoming an organ donor, including being a living donor. 🥰

March is National Kidney Month 🧡 More than 90,000 Americans are waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant, accounting for 86% of patients on the national transplant waiting list. This National Kidney Month, you can help save lives by registering and sharing your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and by learning more about living kidney donation. 💙💚 Read more at https://donatelife.net/donation/organs/kidney-donation/

03/03/2026

It is never too early to ensure you monitor your kidney health. This is a great article to point yoh in the right direction to advocate for yourself! Rusty Garrison had no idea his kidney function was low until Covid manifested it, landing him in the ICU with high blood pressure, diabetes and lung complications.

🧡 March is National Kidney Month 🧡
The data is sobering:
🫘 1 in 7 adults are living with chronic kidney disease. That's 36 million people.
⚠️ 9 in 10 have no idea.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often called the silent disease because it progresses quietly. No flashing warning signs. No dramatic early symptoms. Most people feel completely normal — until kidney function is significantly compromised.
That’s exactly why this month is so important.
If we’re serious about prevention, early detection has to be the priority.
Here’s the actionable play:
🧪 At your next appointment, request two simple labs: ✔️ eGFR – measures how well your kidneys filter blood
✔️ uACR – detects protein leakage in urine
These tests are routine, affordable, and powerful. When kidney damage is caught early, progression can often be slowed — sometimes dramatically — through blood pressure control, glucose management, medication, and lifestyle adjustments.
If you live with:
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Diabetes (T1D & T2D)
• Heart disease
• A family history of kidney disease..you are in a higher-risk category. Proactive screening isn’t optional - it’s smart strategy.
Awareness is step one.
Action is what changes outcomes.
💚 Commit to checking your labs this month.
📌 Save this as a reminder.
📲 Share it with someone who needs to see it.

03/03/2026

How cute! Kenny the Kidney 🥰

With decades of kidney care advocacy under his belt, Sidney The Kidney is preparing for a well-earned retirement. After years of supporting the kidney community with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), he’s ready to pass the torch to the next generation. Now, his younger cousin, Kenny The Kidney...

03/02/2026

Now, what's been going on fun?!

-Dinner for Valentines Day. To help me get out and back to "life" we do once a week outings for a meal on the weekends. I'm careful where we go, because I need comfortable seating.

-Saw "I Can Only Image 2" at the theaters. We're big fans of Mercy Me, seeing both the movies has been great.

-Our big fun news is we purchased a 5th wheel camper! 5th wheels are the largest pull behind campers. We truly hope this camper will last us for many years. We shopped picky and this camper seems to be built very well and had lots of what we needed and wanted. The main reason we needed a larger camper is because Rusty Garrison's dialysis equipment had to be setup/stored in the kitchen with his dialysis hose stretching in the hallway connected to him in bed. We never didn't see his dialysis equipment and it was right by the front door. Now, he will be able to place it in our bedroom and likely in the closet! He had fun taking a picture saying this camper is huge! 😆 There is also very handy steps with rails into the camper helping both of us to be less fall risk.

Everyday is a blessing to us, to be alive, to have fun together and be healthy. We love spending time at the lake, in our camper and riding the trails. Carpe Diem!

03/02/2026

Hello 👋! Rusty Garrison and I hope everyone is well. We've been busy helping me get acclimated back to work, helping Rusty with dialysis changes and we managed time to find a little fun!

Up first, how is Rusty?
-Generally doing good 👍🏻

-He's officially listed to be called for a kidney donation. He remained active on the transplant waiting list, but asked to not receive the phone call while I was having surgery and recovering. Bless his heart ❤️

-A few dialysis program changes for him. He didn't pass one of the many monthly tests he has, and he now runs 3 bags and dialysis time has increased to ~12 hours. The repetition of maintenance and setup his machine and supplies takes a toll on him. I help him with tear down now, but he lifts all the bags. His drain bag (no lie) weighs at least 25lbs!

-Other than that, Rusty stays busy with many appointments at the kidney center, lots of blood draws, other tests, ordering supplies, keeping his supplies in order and trying to sleep. I hope, hope, hope his sleep will improve after dialysis. He is lucky to get 4 hours of sleep a night uninterrupted.

This month is National Kidney Donation month. Like every month, we enter the month hoping it will be HIS MONTH! God is good and Rusty's time will come!

Thank you all for being his support.

03/02/2026

188 kidney transplants in 2025 at the Transplant Center Rusty Garrison is registered with. Happy to see the growing program and living donors! God bless all making organ transplants a reality for those in waiting.

Our Kidney Transplant Program continues to demonstrate exceptional performance and national leadership in patient outcomes. From living donors to complex combined procedures, these results reflect the continued growth of our program and commitment to delivering high-quality transplant care.

Congratulations to our Kidney Transplant team on their accomplishments! 💚

Learn more about our transplant services at froedtert.com/transplant.

02/08/2026

3 - 5 years- the average wait time for people to receive a kidney on the transplant wait list. Rusty Garrison is closing in on year 2.

2 yrs of hemo dialysis first, then peritoneal.
2 yrs of vast good health decline.
2 yrs experiencing a different season of life, together. 2 yrs of everyday Rusty judging what he can do based on levels of balance, walking, dizziness, brain fog, tiredness, blood pressure fluctuations and neuropathy troubles.

When he has a new kidney, all of this will improve and help him return to his life of good health, good times and good energy! We pray for Rusty everyday!

Everyone who needs a kidney should get a kidney. Take action: https://support.kidney.org/campaign/612763/donate

02/08/2026

Reposting! I actually jusg shared this on my LinkedIn page as well. I'm grateful and fortunate to have built a large community of colleagues throughout my careers. I know they will join us in supporting Rusty Garrison !

During The Big Game, we proudly raise awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation. Each day, 13 people pass away waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. The Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, CA, seats 68,000+ people. Currently, there are over 100,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list. We have the power to . Register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor today at RegisterMe.org 💙💚🏈

01/29/2026

Since Mayo Rochester, MN has been a life saving and changing experience for me, we are going to at least ask questions to understand what their transplant program would look like for Rusty Garrison. The beauty of organ transplant centers, is that patients can cross register, but, all color up care must stay at the transplanted center.

01/29/2026

Taking the first step is always scary, but, if your or someone you may know is considering or asking what it takes to be a living donor, this is a great short article! Rusty Garrison 's health continues to deteriorate, he is a strong willed and positive individual, however the daily regimen of dissatisfied is taking a toll on him mentally. As much as peritoneal dialysis is convenient, it's a equally inconvenient. Please keep taking Rusty's story as we never know who that 1 altruistic living donor could be! Tricia Stump Garrison Vickie Clifford trading for cross-sharing

Curious about living kidney donation but not sure what it takes to become a donor? This guide explains the basic requirements and what transplant teams look for. But remember, every situation is different. The only way to know for sure is through a living kidney donor evaluation.

01/29/2026

Did you know? You can register to be an organ donor right thru MyChart the widely used EMR (electronic medical records) system for medical offices. This is one more way to designate being a organ donor than thru the traditional drivers license identifier. Pleases register today to save lives!

Donate Life America is excited to share that more than 130,000 people have registered their decision to become organ, eye and tissue donors through MyChart, the nation’s most widely used patient portal. DLA began its close collaboration with Epic MyChart in May 2025 to improve the donor registration experience. Patients have embraced this innovative and private pathway to resounding effect.
"Reaching more than 130,000 registrations is a monumental milestone and a source of hope for the more than 100,000 people in the United States currently waiting for a transplant. Every one of these registrations represents hope for patients on the national transplant waiting list." –David Fleming, President & CEO of Donate Life America 💙💚

Read more about this milestone here: https://donatelife.net/news/more-than-130000-individuals-register-to-save-lives-through-mychart-donor-registration-initiative/