A Kidney for Pete
Donation protected
Four years ago our family got some really scary news about our dad, Pete. His kidney function had dropped significantly and he was going to have to start dialysis immediately; unfortunately, dialysis isn't a sustainable option to keep someone alive long term and as a diabetic, the treatment brought added risk for my dad. We knew he was going to need a kidney transplant to prolong his life and to ensure any quality of life, so we immediately started the work to get him a new kidney. Unfortunately, nobody in our family was a match due to differing blood types or health issues of their own that would prohibit them from being a donor. So, we turned to the community. We started what we called a kidney campaign and created his facebook page, A Kidney For Pete; we tweeted our hearts out; Jen put a call out in big letters on the back of her car: my husband needs a kidney! The local news picked up the story and unbeknownst to us, the person who would save my dad's life happened to be watching at just the right time.
Kelly saw the segment on my dad and immediately thought, "Oh I could do that, I should get tested". She visited our Facebook page and saw our family and admired how close we were. She had lost her father when she was very young and felt strongly that it would be the right thing to prevent us from having to deal with that loss, all at a young age; our youngest sister, Charlie, was only 7 at the time. Soon after her decision to donate, we got the call. They had found a donor for my dad. He was getting a transplant. The good news was so overwhelming that he actually had a minor stroke!
A year after we learned that dad would need a transplant, the date was set for him to get a life-saving kidney transplant. It seemed like a good omen that the date was May 24 and would fall right on Dana's 30th birthday. The procedure was successful for both Kelly and dad and they went on to become so close that they're now like family.
Unfortunately, this year we found out that my dad had a virus which attacked his kidney, causing irreparable damage. He's back on dialysis 3-4 times per week and is persistently sick and tired. He'll need another transplant to get healthy again and to get his quality of life back. We never thought we would have to do this again, but we're looking to the community once more to help us. We are looking for someone with O blood to be a living donor. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in learning more about living kidney donation, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AKidneyforPete for more information and to contact our family.
We're also looking to raise some money as the medical expenses for dad the past couple of years have honestly been insurmountable. We're hoping to help Dad by contributing some money to his expenses and also hope that when we find a new donor that we can contribute some money toward any lost wages they face after their surgery during recovery. Please pitch in if you can, we'll be endlessly grateful.
xo
Dana and Annie
Kelly saw the segment on my dad and immediately thought, "Oh I could do that, I should get tested". She visited our Facebook page and saw our family and admired how close we were. She had lost her father when she was very young and felt strongly that it would be the right thing to prevent us from having to deal with that loss, all at a young age; our youngest sister, Charlie, was only 7 at the time. Soon after her decision to donate, we got the call. They had found a donor for my dad. He was getting a transplant. The good news was so overwhelming that he actually had a minor stroke!
A year after we learned that dad would need a transplant, the date was set for him to get a life-saving kidney transplant. It seemed like a good omen that the date was May 24 and would fall right on Dana's 30th birthday. The procedure was successful for both Kelly and dad and they went on to become so close that they're now like family.
Unfortunately, this year we found out that my dad had a virus which attacked his kidney, causing irreparable damage. He's back on dialysis 3-4 times per week and is persistently sick and tired. He'll need another transplant to get healthy again and to get his quality of life back. We never thought we would have to do this again, but we're looking to the community once more to help us. We are looking for someone with O blood to be a living donor. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in learning more about living kidney donation, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AKidneyforPete for more information and to contact our family.
We're also looking to raise some money as the medical expenses for dad the past couple of years have honestly been insurmountable. We're hoping to help Dad by contributing some money to his expenses and also hope that when we find a new donor that we can contribute some money toward any lost wages they face after their surgery during recovery. Please pitch in if you can, we'll be endlessly grateful.
xo
Dana and Annie
Organizer
Dana Lyford
Organizer
Auburn, MA
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