Dustin Paulson Transplant Care Fund
Donation protected
Hello,
Thank you for visiting Dustin's Go Fund Me page. If you know Dustin, you're aware of how great of a guy he is. He would never ask for anything from a single person. However, he does need help! He has huge medical bills, which add unnecessary stress to a guy who just had a major operation. Please dig deep and give to a guy who has been an inspiration to so many. Here's a message from Dustin's mom, Karen:
"On May 6, 2015 my son, Dustin, received a kidney donation from his beautiful and loving sister, Amanda. Dustin was born with Prune Belly Syndrome, which left him with severely dilated kidneys, ureters, and bladder. Because of this Syndrome he had over 50 surgeries and surgical procedures before the age of 18. His kidneys continuously deteriorated through the years, and ultimately had to be removed at the age of 22.
Six weeks later, in an attempt to give my son a new chance at a normal life, I donated one of my kidneys to Dustin. After two years of battling to save the transplant, he couldn’t overcome a blood infection and the kidney ultimately had to be removed. This caused Dustin to be on dialysis for the last 8 years, which consisted of 4 hour sessions, 3 days a week. Dustin continued to work full-time during this time making his days extra-long and exhausting.
One day, a few years back, on his way home from dialysis Dustin blacked out due to exhaustion and crashed his car into a cement light pole. Dustin suffered multiple injuries including a broken femur, crushed ankle, and had to have half of his spleen removed. He spent another several, all too familiar, hours on the operating table where doctors were trying to save his life. The surgeries that the doctors needed to complete kept getting delayed due to them having to revive him. After a very hard several months, he was back on his feet, and back to his "normal" way of life.
Fast forward to the reason for this writing. One year ago, Dustin was told by his doctor that he had about 3-5 years to live if he didn’t receive a kidney. He was an extremely rare match due to reactions from all of the blood transfusions he has received throughout his life, which are many. For this reason he had to be removed from the national donor list.
On May 6, 2015 Dustin’s sister, Amanda, donated one of her kidneys to her brother in an attempt to save his life. Amanda's determination, persistence, and selflessness are the reason Dustin was given this opportunity. Fortunately, Amanda’s kidney was as close to a perfect match as you can get, and as of now, everything is going as well as we could have hoped for.
With a life long list of medical bills, Dustin continually lives pay check to pay check to try and stay above water. He has lived with his parents for a majority of his life because the uncertainty of his medical condition hasn't allowed him to live on his own.
Since the surgery, both Amanda and Dustin are doing well, but the medical bills are continuing to pile up. Dustin is a very prideful young man, and would never ask anyone for anything. However, he needs all of the support he can get right now.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this incredible story about Dustin and Amanda. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to write their amazing stories. God Bless!"
- Karen
Thank you for visiting Dustin's Go Fund Me page. If you know Dustin, you're aware of how great of a guy he is. He would never ask for anything from a single person. However, he does need help! He has huge medical bills, which add unnecessary stress to a guy who just had a major operation. Please dig deep and give to a guy who has been an inspiration to so many. Here's a message from Dustin's mom, Karen:
"On May 6, 2015 my son, Dustin, received a kidney donation from his beautiful and loving sister, Amanda. Dustin was born with Prune Belly Syndrome, which left him with severely dilated kidneys, ureters, and bladder. Because of this Syndrome he had over 50 surgeries and surgical procedures before the age of 18. His kidneys continuously deteriorated through the years, and ultimately had to be removed at the age of 22.
Six weeks later, in an attempt to give my son a new chance at a normal life, I donated one of my kidneys to Dustin. After two years of battling to save the transplant, he couldn’t overcome a blood infection and the kidney ultimately had to be removed. This caused Dustin to be on dialysis for the last 8 years, which consisted of 4 hour sessions, 3 days a week. Dustin continued to work full-time during this time making his days extra-long and exhausting.
One day, a few years back, on his way home from dialysis Dustin blacked out due to exhaustion and crashed his car into a cement light pole. Dustin suffered multiple injuries including a broken femur, crushed ankle, and had to have half of his spleen removed. He spent another several, all too familiar, hours on the operating table where doctors were trying to save his life. The surgeries that the doctors needed to complete kept getting delayed due to them having to revive him. After a very hard several months, he was back on his feet, and back to his "normal" way of life.
Fast forward to the reason for this writing. One year ago, Dustin was told by his doctor that he had about 3-5 years to live if he didn’t receive a kidney. He was an extremely rare match due to reactions from all of the blood transfusions he has received throughout his life, which are many. For this reason he had to be removed from the national donor list.
On May 6, 2015 Dustin’s sister, Amanda, donated one of her kidneys to her brother in an attempt to save his life. Amanda's determination, persistence, and selflessness are the reason Dustin was given this opportunity. Fortunately, Amanda’s kidney was as close to a perfect match as you can get, and as of now, everything is going as well as we could have hoped for.
With a life long list of medical bills, Dustin continually lives pay check to pay check to try and stay above water. He has lived with his parents for a majority of his life because the uncertainty of his medical condition hasn't allowed him to live on his own.
Since the surgery, both Amanda and Dustin are doing well, but the medical bills are continuing to pile up. Dustin is a very prideful young man, and would never ask anyone for anything. However, he needs all of the support he can get right now.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this incredible story about Dustin and Amanda. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to write their amazing stories. God Bless!"
- Karen
Organizer and beneficiary
Dave Mogren
Organizer
Cottage Grove, MN
Dustin Paulson
Beneficiary