Brian Parker Kidney Transplant
Donation protected
I am writing to you about my husband, best friend, love of my life Brian Parker. It’s to let you know about his current health challenge, and how you can help. This is not an easy letter for me to write, but I know that without sending this, someone who might be interested in helping won’t have that opportunity. Brian is a wonderful person. In fact, he is the best person I know. The number of people that he has touched in his life is incredible. His smile is contagious and he has the biggest heart of anyone I know.

On January 20, 2017 Brian and I went to our family doctor for a routine visit. We don't have health insurance because we simply cannot afford to pay $800.00 per month for Obamacare which came with a hefty $12,000.00 deductable, so we opted for a Flexable Spending Account until open enrollment opened up in July. It is said that everything happens for a reason and I truly believe that. My flexible spending account insisted on a descriptive explanation of the charges incurred for our yearly visit. It was when the doctor's office faxed me the Doctor's notes and lab results from our visit that I read the words "Stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease" and "End Stage Renal Therapy".
I froze, I couldn't understand what I was reading. Just two days prior the doctor's office had called us and said "You are both fine, just tell Brian to drink more water."
Drink more water? I look back down at the numbers, this was nothing that could be solved by "drinking more water"! We called the Doctor's Office and my husband was told "Oh, those aren't your numbers, they are just a chart on all of your results." My response to that was outrage. How can a Doctor's Office not read the results that an untrained eye could. Once their mistake was pointed out, they no longer would speak to us.

We contacted several Kidney Doctor's and finally were seen by Dr. Sagar. In my mind, Brian's results were wrong and once the new labs came in we would be assured that Brian was fine. Unfortunately, on February 2, 2017 we did not receive that news. We were told that Brian would need to go on dialysis and was in need of a kidney transplant.
Brian suffers from IgA Nephropathy or Berger's Disease which is a kidney disease that causes the kidneys to become inflamed. At first the disease was believed to be of little threat. But after more and more researchers looked into IgA nephropathy, it turned out that as many as 50 percent of the cases progressed to end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, according to the IgA Nephropathy Support Network. After diabetes and high blood pressure, IgA nephropathy is the third leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States.
kidney failure.



The average wait for a kidney donor is 5 years. Brian has been given a gift that we could never repay. His brother, Neal Parker, has offered to donate one of his kidneys to Brian. There were no second thoughts or hesitation. His only response was "My brother needs a kidney and I am going to give it to him." Words cannot begin to describe how thankful we were, and are, to Neal and his family. Brian's brother Ron Parker has also offered to be tested for a match if needed. The bond these brothers share is like no other.
Now, the hard part begins. He will start dialysis in March, first going into surgery to have a line put into his stomach so that he can do the PD Dialysis from home every night. The training for the dialysis is 2 weeks, 6 hour days. The time missed for the surgery and training alone will put a strain on our finances as will the extra cost for doctor visists, medication, inusurance premiums etc. Neal and Brian will then be tested to see if they are a match, if they are not Brian's brother Ron Parker will then be tested. If neither of them are a match I will be tested. Even with Medicare coverage, our costs and missed work will leave us with a large amount of debt.

I know this is a big request. But I make it on behalf of someone who devotes every day of his life to making a difference to his family and friends. Go fund me asked for a goal amount, I'm not really sure. Kidney dialysis is roughly $44,000.00 per year, Kindy transplant surgery from 30 days prior to surgery and medications needed afterward run $262,900.00. That is the cost prior to lost wages, travel, etc. I dont' know what our goal is other than making Brian better and keeping stress free home for him to come back too. Our goal is to make sure that Neal does not have to worry during his time off either. I don't know how to put an amount to that, so I just ask for your help. Whatever you can do, whatever you feel you can. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers always.
If you can help, please do. If you know anyone who might, please forward this on. Forwarding this to your family, friends, work, school, congregation, or any other communities you belong to would be most gratefully appreciated.
Thank you so much!
On January 20, 2017 Brian and I went to our family doctor for a routine visit. We don't have health insurance because we simply cannot afford to pay $800.00 per month for Obamacare which came with a hefty $12,000.00 deductable, so we opted for a Flexable Spending Account until open enrollment opened up in July. It is said that everything happens for a reason and I truly believe that. My flexible spending account insisted on a descriptive explanation of the charges incurred for our yearly visit. It was when the doctor's office faxed me the Doctor's notes and lab results from our visit that I read the words "Stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease" and "End Stage Renal Therapy".
I froze, I couldn't understand what I was reading. Just two days prior the doctor's office had called us and said "You are both fine, just tell Brian to drink more water."
Drink more water? I look back down at the numbers, this was nothing that could be solved by "drinking more water"! We called the Doctor's Office and my husband was told "Oh, those aren't your numbers, they are just a chart on all of your results." My response to that was outrage. How can a Doctor's Office not read the results that an untrained eye could. Once their mistake was pointed out, they no longer would speak to us.
We contacted several Kidney Doctor's and finally were seen by Dr. Sagar. In my mind, Brian's results were wrong and once the new labs came in we would be assured that Brian was fine. Unfortunately, on February 2, 2017 we did not receive that news. We were told that Brian would need to go on dialysis and was in need of a kidney transplant.
Brian suffers from IgA Nephropathy or Berger's Disease which is a kidney disease that causes the kidneys to become inflamed. At first the disease was believed to be of little threat. But after more and more researchers looked into IgA nephropathy, it turned out that as many as 50 percent of the cases progressed to end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, according to the IgA Nephropathy Support Network. After diabetes and high blood pressure, IgA nephropathy is the third leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States.
kidney failure.
The average wait for a kidney donor is 5 years. Brian has been given a gift that we could never repay. His brother, Neal Parker, has offered to donate one of his kidneys to Brian. There were no second thoughts or hesitation. His only response was "My brother needs a kidney and I am going to give it to him." Words cannot begin to describe how thankful we were, and are, to Neal and his family. Brian's brother Ron Parker has also offered to be tested for a match if needed. The bond these brothers share is like no other.
Now, the hard part begins. He will start dialysis in March, first going into surgery to have a line put into his stomach so that he can do the PD Dialysis from home every night. The training for the dialysis is 2 weeks, 6 hour days. The time missed for the surgery and training alone will put a strain on our finances as will the extra cost for doctor visists, medication, inusurance premiums etc. Neal and Brian will then be tested to see if they are a match, if they are not Brian's brother Ron Parker will then be tested. If neither of them are a match I will be tested. Even with Medicare coverage, our costs and missed work will leave us with a large amount of debt.
I know this is a big request. But I make it on behalf of someone who devotes every day of his life to making a difference to his family and friends. Go fund me asked for a goal amount, I'm not really sure. Kidney dialysis is roughly $44,000.00 per year, Kindy transplant surgery from 30 days prior to surgery and medications needed afterward run $262,900.00. That is the cost prior to lost wages, travel, etc. I dont' know what our goal is other than making Brian better and keeping stress free home for him to come back too. Our goal is to make sure that Neal does not have to worry during his time off either. I don't know how to put an amount to that, so I just ask for your help. Whatever you can do, whatever you feel you can. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers always.
If you can help, please do. If you know anyone who might, please forward this on. Forwarding this to your family, friends, work, school, congregation, or any other communities you belong to would be most gratefully appreciated.
Thank you so much!
Organizer
Lisa Parker
Organizer
Dunedin, FL
