Saturday, May 11, 2013

KIDNEY STORIES: KIDNEY FOR MONICA-A GIFT OF LIFE


Dear Friends and Family,

This is probably the most difficult letter I’ve written. You see, my wife, Monica, is in need of a kidney transplant, and I need to let my friends and family know about her condition.

Monica’s kidneys failed (in a 2 year span) from a rare kidney disease that affects one in 100,000. She has been on the kidney transplant list and on dialysis for over a year. Being on di...alysis is emotionally and physically draining. To perform dialysis, she has to hook up to a machine for 9 hours every evening. During this time, she has been unable to tuck the kids in for bedtime or care for them when they are sick. She struggles each morning to get the kids ready for school since she is usually still connected to the dialysis machine. She has had several surgeries and procedures due to the complications of being on dialysis and had to give up her job because she can no longer work full time. Her doctor advised her that she should start looking for a living donor immediately. Throughout this ordeal, she remains to be the sweetest person you will ever meet and a great mother to our 4 year old daughter and 7 year old son.

Monica has had more than 4 people to genuinely offer to be tested to donate a kidney to her – but they were ruled out for various reasons.

We are pursuing a living donor for two main reasons (but there are many others), kidneys from living donors last, on average, twice as long as kidneys from deceased donors and the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney is an average of 8 years. Most people can donate who don’t have high blood pressure, cardiac problems or some other medical condition.

Here’s some basic information about kidney donation:
• People are born with an extra kidney – you only need one to live a full, healthy, long life.
• The majority of the donor surgery is done laproscopically, with tiny incisions.
• The recuperation period is generally 2 weeks for those with a desk job and 6 weeks for those whose job entails heavy lifting.
• The surgery would be done at UCLA Medical Center that has some of the best surgeons in the country.
• All medical expenses would be paid by my insurance benefits.
• Most donors say if they had another extra kidney they would donate again in a heartbeat and that it is one of the best experiences of their life.

For general information about kidney donation, please visit www.lkdn.org & click on “For Living Donors.” Or, you can also call the kidney donor information line at the UCLA Medical Center at (310)794-2798. They will send you a packet of information and you will not have to disclose any personal information at this time. Feel free to pass this letter along to people that you know and “like” Kidney for Monica-A Gift of Life on Facebook. Lastly, please keep us in your prayers --Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”


Thanks for your support and concern,
Delshaun Lanier
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kidney-for-Monica-A-Gift-of-Life/218882284859645
 
TAGS:  kidney for monica a gift of life, Ning, Live Journal, Tumblr, Weebly, WordPress, Facebook, Kidney Stories, Jim Myers, kidney, dialysis, blood, transfusion, donor, recipient, seeking, awareness, National Kidney Foundation, Indiana University, sharing, kidney disease, End Stage Renal Failure, polycystic kidney disease, chronic kidney disease, kidney for, diabetic, save my life, living kidney donor, organ donation, find a kidney for, NCS, share a spare, transplant list, fundraiser, donate life,

No comments:

Post a Comment