Support the Brights in their wait for a new kidney

Christmas Morning 2023

Hi! I'm Lindsey and I am a friend of Tina and Eddie Bright. We are fundraising to support their family while Eddie is waiting for a kidney transplant. Here is their story:

In January 2014, on a cold winter day eight years ago, Eddie was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (kidney failure). During the initial two-week hospital stay, our world was rocked, and our lives turned upside down. We learned more about kidneys, how they work, how they function, and how they affect your body during those two weeks than we ever imagined. After 14 days in the hospital, we were discharged and sent home to learn how to live with this new normal.

Over the next 3 months, Eddie did hemodialysis at the clinic 3 times a week, we traveled to Charleston from Easley, SC for screening and evaluation appointments to get on the transplant list. We changed our diets and tried to embrace this new season that God had placed us in. After many trips and procedures, and a rigorous screening process, Eddie was placed on the transplant list. He also started peritoneal dialysis, which took place at home while he slept and allowed him to return to a somewhat normal life. We learned that the wait time for a Kidney transplant was approximately 3 years and that we had a long road ahead, but they also told us about the options of a living donor kidney. Our family and even some friends went through testing to see if they were eligible donors but there were none, so we began the long three-year wait time and continued with our new normal while we waited.

During the next year, our community, church, family, and friends rallied around us and helped us in so many ways. From fundraisers to grocery shopping to watching Elise, to cutting our grass, we were well taken care of and provided for. It was a humbling experience to receive so much from so many people, some we didn’t even know. We were truly shown the love of God from those around us and it was an incredible experience. In December 2014, I (Tina) began to feel God speaking to me and telling me to start the process of getting screened for kidney donation. At first, I didn’t listen, how could I possibly be a match? What about Elise? She couldn’t have two parents having surgery at the same time! The idea seemed like too much to handle. But with God’s gentle nudging, in the new year, I started the process. I found out that Eddie and I were the same blood type and it felt like a sign. After several appointments, it was determined that I was healthy enough to donate but not a perfect match.

In September 2015 we participated in a Kidney swap program. I donated my kidney to a young girl in California, and the girl’s uncle donated a kidney to Eddie. I know, mind blown right!! Both Eddie and I and several of our family members (our caregivers) traveled to Charleston, SC, and spent 3 weeks there, while we underwent surgery and recovery. My recovery was fast and minimal, I enjoyed walking the mile to the beach each day we were there and felt closest to God during those moments of peace and solitude. Eddie’s recovery was slower and longer and included daily trips and appointments at the hospital. After 3 weeks we came home, there were follow-up appointments and occasional procedures in Charleston. But for the most part, the next 6 years in our story were relatively quiet and normal. We had two more children, grew as a family, and went back to life as we know it.

In November 2022, that started to change. Eddie began getting infections, there were some complications, and no one knew what to do. They treated the infection with antibiotics, but it kept returning. No one really seemed to know the cause and every month or two, he would end up hospitalized in Charleston trying to figure it out. Finally in June 2023, while at Greenville Memorial with yet another infection, the transplant team here found the problem and a way to fix it. We decided to move all medical care to the Greenville area for logistical and financial purposes and begin what we thought was the process of recovery. The problem was a small blockage from scar tissue that kept fluid backed up around the kidney and provided a breeding ground for infection. The solution was an in-depth, difficult surgery that would replace the section where the blockage was. There were some routine appointments with urology to confirm everything and Eddie had to be infection-free and not on antibiotics for the surgery to take place. Over the next several months, every time he finished an antibiotic, an infection would return. In November 2023 (a year after all of this started), we got the all-clear to move ahead with the surgery. However, there was too much damage already done to the kidney and it was not functioning as it should be. It was determined that Eddie needed to go back on the transplant list and the surgery was pointless without a new kidney.

We spent the past 2 months going to appointments that will allow Eddie to get placed on the list for a kidney transplant. The positives are that this time the surgery would be here in

Greenville and now Kidney swaps are very common. The downsides are that the wait time on the list is now 5 years instead of 3, and it is much harder to find a match for a second transplant. Last week, December 23rd, Eddie was admitted to the hospital for a 7-day stay with yet another infection, but this time the damage was detrimental, and the kidney is no longer working. He was placed on dialysis, and we are now beginning a very similar road that we went down in 2014.

I have been asked what we need. What people can do? How can they help? So if you're still reading, here it is:

1. We need financial support, Eddie will be out of work for probably the next 3 months and then again when he has a transplant. Funds will primarily be used to cover medical costs and day-to-day living costs for us and our three children.

2. We need a donor; the best chance Eddie has at a transplant is a living donor. It doesn’t have to be someone compatible with him, because of the swap, but it does have to be someone eligible and willing to donate. That means someone between the age of 18-55, is in good health, has no diabetes, and no high blood pressure. If you would be willing to donate and meet these criteria, please let me know and we can talk about next steps.

3. We need prayers for the following:

o For Eddie to regain strength and quality of life while on dialysis again.

o For God to provide a donor and a match for Eddie to get a transplant sooner rather than later.

o For encouragement and peace for our family as we go through so many changes and adjustments.

Thank you for all your support for our family!