Eric Schroeger Kidney Journey
Donation protected
My name is Eric Schroeger. I am a forty one year old man born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin. I have been blessed with a beautiful wife named Shelly, a precious eight year old girl named Hailey and a one year old cat name Rosie. We are fortunate to own our house in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin where we try to enjoy all that the community has to offer.
In August of 2015 we were informed that my kidney function had dropped drastically and I was diagnosed with a stage five kidney disease. Although it was not a surprise that I was an unlucky recipient of kidney issues it was a surprise that my function had dropped so rapidly. The underlying issues stemmed from a genetic disorder passed down throughout my family. Alport Syndrome had been diagnosed on several other male family members but in my case the disorder mutated and a 2008 biopsy diagnosed my condition as Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis or FSGS. For years this condition was held in check with a variety of drugs and diet until 2013 where my kidney function began to decrease systematically until current level of 9% dictated different treatment be taken. The two options available for survival at this point are transplant or long term dialysis.
This was the beginning of the information gathering stage which sent our heads spinning as it was a massive amount of information to digest in such a short period of time. Ultimately we decided that transplant would be option number one so we could all try and maintain a normal life moving forward.
After several phone calls with our insurance company we were given our options and some general guidelines which allowed us to move forward. Proper referrals from primary doctor were sent allowing us to contact and discuss next steps with a local hospital. They gave us the opportunity to attend a kidney evaluation seminar which outlined their entire process for us. They wasted no time in informing us that they felt we were a good candidate for transplant and initiated blood draw and chest x-rays that same day. Positive results for those tests dictated a stress test be performed as well which ultimately confirmed that we were a good candidate for transplant. We were officially approved and enrolled into their transplant program. This was great news on several fronts as not only did it get us on the deceased donor organ waiting list but it also allowed us to explore living donor options as well. We are fortunate to have several very generous and caring family members and friends willing to step in and donate if possible. Living donor applications are being sent in allowing hospital to isolate best possible match and start the lengthy testing process.
During this entire process my health condition continued to worsen. Lack of energy and inability to concentrate and focus ultimately led us to the decision that I would no longer be able to continue with my current job responsibilities. My last day of work was declared and a surgically created fistula was scheduled to be put in my body so we were prepared for dialysis if needed.
Our thirst for information grew as process moved forward and we continued to read up on everything we could find concerning the subject. This is where Shelly found a stem cell clinical study being performed down at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. This study looks into donor stem cell infusions that have been specially engineered to “trick” the recipient's immune system into treating the donated organ as part of the patient's natural self, thus gradually eliminating or reducing the need for anti-rejection medication. This was exciting news for all of us and we wasted no time in contacting Northwestern to see if there was any chance of participating in the study. The initial approval process at Northwestern was very similar to the one already experienced with our local hospital. Kidney evaluation followed by blood draws and numerous tests to determine if we were a good candidate for transplant were completed. We were accepted into Northwestern general transplant program January 2016 which allowed them to review living donors to see if we may be a good candidate for the stem cell study. Possible living donor match was isolated and testing was initiated. Phase one testing showed that he was an excellent blood match for transplant. Phase two testing looked into the overall health condition of possible donor to make sure his body is healthy enough for transplant process. Phase two testing was completed by donor with positive results being received on 2/26/26 allowing donor to move onto phase three testing and evaluation. Donor is currently in the process of scheduling these with hospital and we hope to have them completed by mid-March 2016.
All in all we are very fortunate to have the above medical opportunities available to us. We are grateful for what insurance covers yet there are many other associated costs not covered that continue to put a strain on our ability to meet our current and future financial commitments. With the help of many we are hopeful that all will work out in the end allowing us to move forward without financial stress eventually getting us back to the normal care free life we once experienced.
In August of 2015 we were informed that my kidney function had dropped drastically and I was diagnosed with a stage five kidney disease. Although it was not a surprise that I was an unlucky recipient of kidney issues it was a surprise that my function had dropped so rapidly. The underlying issues stemmed from a genetic disorder passed down throughout my family. Alport Syndrome had been diagnosed on several other male family members but in my case the disorder mutated and a 2008 biopsy diagnosed my condition as Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis or FSGS. For years this condition was held in check with a variety of drugs and diet until 2013 where my kidney function began to decrease systematically until current level of 9% dictated different treatment be taken. The two options available for survival at this point are transplant or long term dialysis.
This was the beginning of the information gathering stage which sent our heads spinning as it was a massive amount of information to digest in such a short period of time. Ultimately we decided that transplant would be option number one so we could all try and maintain a normal life moving forward.
After several phone calls with our insurance company we were given our options and some general guidelines which allowed us to move forward. Proper referrals from primary doctor were sent allowing us to contact and discuss next steps with a local hospital. They gave us the opportunity to attend a kidney evaluation seminar which outlined their entire process for us. They wasted no time in informing us that they felt we were a good candidate for transplant and initiated blood draw and chest x-rays that same day. Positive results for those tests dictated a stress test be performed as well which ultimately confirmed that we were a good candidate for transplant. We were officially approved and enrolled into their transplant program. This was great news on several fronts as not only did it get us on the deceased donor organ waiting list but it also allowed us to explore living donor options as well. We are fortunate to have several very generous and caring family members and friends willing to step in and donate if possible. Living donor applications are being sent in allowing hospital to isolate best possible match and start the lengthy testing process.
During this entire process my health condition continued to worsen. Lack of energy and inability to concentrate and focus ultimately led us to the decision that I would no longer be able to continue with my current job responsibilities. My last day of work was declared and a surgically created fistula was scheduled to be put in my body so we were prepared for dialysis if needed.
Our thirst for information grew as process moved forward and we continued to read up on everything we could find concerning the subject. This is where Shelly found a stem cell clinical study being performed down at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. This study looks into donor stem cell infusions that have been specially engineered to “trick” the recipient's immune system into treating the donated organ as part of the patient's natural self, thus gradually eliminating or reducing the need for anti-rejection medication. This was exciting news for all of us and we wasted no time in contacting Northwestern to see if there was any chance of participating in the study. The initial approval process at Northwestern was very similar to the one already experienced with our local hospital. Kidney evaluation followed by blood draws and numerous tests to determine if we were a good candidate for transplant were completed. We were accepted into Northwestern general transplant program January 2016 which allowed them to review living donors to see if we may be a good candidate for the stem cell study. Possible living donor match was isolated and testing was initiated. Phase one testing showed that he was an excellent blood match for transplant. Phase two testing looked into the overall health condition of possible donor to make sure his body is healthy enough for transplant process. Phase two testing was completed by donor with positive results being received on 2/26/26 allowing donor to move onto phase three testing and evaluation. Donor is currently in the process of scheduling these with hospital and we hope to have them completed by mid-March 2016.
All in all we are very fortunate to have the above medical opportunities available to us. We are grateful for what insurance covers yet there are many other associated costs not covered that continue to put a strain on our ability to meet our current and future financial commitments. With the help of many we are hopeful that all will work out in the end allowing us to move forward without financial stress eventually getting us back to the normal care free life we once experienced.
Organiser
Rick Schroeger
Organiser
Menomonee Falls, WI
