Heartbeats for Randy & Kidneys of Kindness

It is very difficult for some people to ask for help or reach out for support in any form or fashion and our family is definitely one of these "some people". 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone we can all agree! Between the bullet dodging of COVID, online schooling, emergency hospital visits, canceled graduations, loss of sports, new jobs, job loss, reduced income and days of isolation, 2020 has definitely kept us on our toes! I have included a slimmed down version of our story here at the beginning, but if you are looking for a more detailed read, that can be found further down the page.

Randy Knecht has been known as a very active community member, volunteer, coach and friend to many. He is always putting the interest of others in front of his own and his family's needs and now is a great time to give back and support him and his family! Randy has coached various sports at Cochrane - Fountain City in all age groups since his graduation from C-FC in 1993. He has been honored to be invited on as a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Girls Basketball Assistant coach twice, he is the former varsity girls basketball coach, assistant football & assistant boys basketball coach. He was a former para at C-FC, the former Food Service Director and active member of the Booster Club. He may have serenaded you a time or two while working as a DJ or bartender at the local pubs. Randy was the nuts and bolts of the Fountain City Little League for numerous years and one heck of a pitcher for the Hilltop softball team in his younger years. Randy has three children; Izaiah (19) a freshman in college, Eyan (15) a sophomore and Ana (14) an eighth grader, who are hoping their dad can get back on a court or on a field someday and feel full of life again very soon!

Your generous donations and support will go to help offset the costs of traveling to daily medical appointments, loss of income during recovery, support of his children and acquired hospital bills for ongoing testing and medical care, which is up to 4-5 times a week currently between Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse, Onalaska and Mayo in Rochester. The future will bring a similar medical schedule for ongoing rehab and care. 

 In January of 2020 Randy was diagnosed with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease and early bouts of edema and anemia. In late June 2020, Randy Knecht's health took a severe turn for the worse. He was hospitalized three times this year with unexplained illnesses, progressing lung disease, pneumonia and sadly diagnosed with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (End Stage Renal Failure). Readjustments of medications and additions to his pill boxes could not halt the rapid progress in his declining health. His GFR (in simple terms, kidney function) has dropped from 38% to 11% in just one year!  Randy has undergone consideration and intense testing with the transplant team at Mayo Clinic in Rochester this past fall, but unfortunately was denied transplant eligibility due to his medical team's discovery of severe cardio blockage in multiple areas of his heart. His much needed kidney transplant will now need to be put on the back burner until we can get his heart healthy again. In October, Randy began iron infusions for his reoccurring anemia due to his overly aggressive kidney disease and his underlying Type 2 Diabetes. Then began the 5:30am dialysis treatments in November at Gundersen to help his body heal and function.

On February 2nd, Randy will be undergoing a quadruple bypass to repair extensive damage to his heart and we are asking for your prayers! This will be a very risky surgery considering all the underlying conditions Randy is also dealing with and came as a shock to his family, friends and community. He had no chest pain, no shortness of breath, no signs of a heart attack, no symptoms of heart failure. Thankfully during his kidney transplant evaluations, the doctors at Mayo Clinic found a concerning abundance of heart disease and blockage ranging from 60% -90% in numerous areas of his heart. Additional cardio testing was performed.  After a scheduled exploratory angiogram on December 30th, it was determined that his damage could not be repaired with stents and open heart surgery is his life saving answer.

Following his quadruple bypass, Randy will be in the ICU for 1-3 days following surgery and then moved to a recovery room for approximately 7-10 days. He will be undergoing cardiac rehab during his outpatient recovery up to 6 times a week and will also continue with his twice weekly dialysis runs to Onalaska. His recovery time is estimated at up to 12 weeks and brings the heavy burden of loss of income, worries of how monthly household and living expenses will be covered, how his children will be supported, the cost of critical medications and the never-ending pile of medical bills that 2020 into 2021 has brought. Thankfully, Randy has been able to continue the costly upkeep of his Cobra health insurance plan after his job loss in June of 2020, but that is a large, essential monthly expense as well and his eligibility time frame will come to an end before we know it. Randy has applied for medical assistance, disability, SSI and Medicare but all are on hold at this time as he continues to insist on working as he is able around reoccurring medical appointments Unfortunately some of these programs have lengthy waiting periods. 

Your prayers, donations and phone calls are appreciated, please say an extra prayer on Tuesday, February 2nd for Randy and his whole family! 

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Dad, brother, friend, son, cousin, uncle, neighbor, roommate, church member, teammate, classmate, barkeep, coworker, Coach K, Rockin' Randy, Pink, 3's, Randall, Ran...

Randy Knecht is a man who has earned various titles and names over the years...he is also one of my best friends and a very special person to me and our children. Randy is the father of our three super awesome teens, Izaiah (19), Eyan (15) and Ana (14). Proudly, our kids share the love for our alma mater Cochrane - Fountain City School, their dad's deep love of watching and participating in sports and his inherited knack of punctuality! He has probably touched your life or crossed your path in some way over the last 46 years too! I would like to share with you the detailed version of our story. I feel Randy's journey is worth sharing. 

Randy's medical issues unfortunately began many years before 2021.

~ In 2007, Randy was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He was able to make some minor lifestyle changes and fly under the radar while learning to maintain his disease with small dietary changes and began his pill bottle collection of all shapes and sizes. His diabetes wasn't great but it was controllable and not life threatening...yet.

~ In 2010 our family dynamics changed, we separated and decided co-parenting was in our future and remained close friends with daily contact, while still sharing exciting milestones together as a family. Some find our continued relationship odd, some compliment us, but for our family and essentially our children, it was a must to stay connected and remain supportive of each other... ALWAYS! Birthday parties, holidays, vacations, sporting events, school activities and church together still remain a family norm in our now untraditional family to this day. Whew, that was an emotional year.

~ 2011 through 2013 were a little more quiet in terms of medical issues but deep down we knew the diabetes was silently progressing in the background. If you ignore it it's not really there, right? Wrong. The physical effects of this disease were beginning to fester and made its first grand appearance in 2014.

~ 2014 brought the beginning and acceptance of the physical changes, countless attempts in searching for a primary care physician that clicked with Randy, yet kept resulting in dead ends. Randy's vision was slowly deteriorating and his blood sugars had skyrocketed into the high 300's daily! Medication regiments and dedication were now more important than ever but drug costs seemed to unfortunately be the winning cut out of the monthly budget.  Diabetic retinopathy, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and neuropathy had also set in. It's getting serious. 

~ In 2015, Randy decided to switch to Gundersen Lutheran for primary care and  underwent his first two eye surgeries to correct retina detachments in both eyes.   All while running our local Fountain City Little League program, coaching and volunteering for numerous organizations while trying to appear healthy to outsiders and never complaining or asking for a helping hand... rather he gave a helping hand to all those that asked, he was a friend and personal counselor to many when they were blue during this time. He loves to be wanted and needed. Two hour bouts of sleep were a norm in-between commitments he had made to others...saying NO was not in his vocabulary.  "You need to slow down and take care of yourself if you want to be here for the kids in 20 years".

~ 2016 brought healing and focus on repairing his body...again all hush hush to those other than his family and closest friends, "I'm fine", "Don't worry about me".  But we could see it behind closed doors, hear it in the phone calls in his voice and feel it in his distant presence. He did not feel well...period. But the community service duties, responsibilities as leading chair to our summer ball programs, umpiring and high school football & basketball coaching still had to be done with a smile on his face, not because he was faking that big ol' grin but because his love for our community, youth sports and putting others first are such a natural gift to this gentle soul. Honestly, it would have killed him to not have these activities to keep his mind off of his hidden pains and the bumpy road we knew was coming. 

~ 2017 feels like deja vu and brought another dreaded diagnosis in June of detached retinas in both eyes AGAIN and gosh darn it... more surgery to repair his retinas in July, did I mention AGAIN!  Only two short months later in August, as his vision wasn't improving, more eye surgeries in September for a new found issue, cataracts, in both eyes.  Randy's vision in his left eye has never returned 100% nor in his right, and unfortunately as a side effect of years of uncontrolled diabetes and some bad luck, it never will. I recall sitting in the exam room off to the side during his vision check ups and shaking my head with a crooked smile because we had been there so many times over the last few months that he had memorized the big E vision test chart, haha! New eyeglasses, new medications, the newfound routine of blood draws galore and a really cool new primary care physician, Randy was healing and off on the right path. 

~ 2018 thankfully was quiet and we could enjoy things again like "normal" people beyond the windows and walls of the East Building at Gundersen. Randy was back to being a fixture in our community, local school and could be found either coaching, officiating, announcing, on a ball field or mowing grass somewhere around Buffalo County. Thank goodness his bubbly spirits were back and his exhaustion was decreasing. 

~ In 2019 edema in both legs came and blood sugars so incontrollable, ranging from 70-666! Slowly his health highs and lows made the decision for him to weed out of his long run as Little League coordinator, and were slowly making everyday enjoyments difficult again. Emergency hospital stays and late night ER visits near the end of 2019 would now become something routine for us into and throughout 2020. 

~ Welcome to 2020...
January, June and July brought lengthy days of overnight hospital stays, and the weeks and months in between brought late night phone calls and rides to the ER or Urgent Care.  After the second unplanned trip we had learned to prepare. There is now a permanently packed C-FC Pirate backpack perched at the top of the stairs, stocked with overnight goods and personal care items …just incase an abrupt run to La Crosse arises. If you know Randy, you know he is a tough cookie, so the scare, fear and pain had gotten to the point of intense now in mid 2020.  Painfully severe full body edema became a new norm, wheezing, plummeted oxygen level drops, unexplained coughing bouts and drowning gasps for air, mood fluctuations, pneumonia, newly developed allergies, extreme fatigue, chills, fevers, body aches, blurred vision, anemia, uncontrollable vomiting, weight loss/gain, routine COVID testing, uncountable amounts of blood draws, elevated eye pressures, early glaucoma... he's begun to feel like he is living in the body of a 98 year old man, Randy is not well.  In January he was classified as having Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease after results of a kidney biopsy and by November his CKD had shockingly progressed to Stage 5, End Stage Renal Failure.  On a happier note, with his history of erratic diabetes, a recent introduction to daily insulin and a strict diet, his diabetes is the best it has ever been! Iron infusions for ongoing and lingering anemia began in October. Dialysis came sadly sooner that later though, in November, and a new catheter port insertion. He was given the option for at home peritoneal dialysis but that option has been put on hold. In clinic hemodialysis is the best approach to monitor how his body reacts and accepts this new treatment plan. Dialysis has brought early morning visits to La Crosse and Onalaska Gundersen campus' and he patiently waits for an opening closer to home in Winona and Wabasha. Randy was next preparing for kidney transplant evaluations, getting on local transplant lists and we discussed donor possibilities. He was referred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for a detailed prequalifying transplant consideration. Oodles of tests, imaging and blood draws heartbreakingly resulted in a denial from Mayo due to the discovery of underlying heart disease. What could be next! Let's throw in a sleep study and results of a mild sleep apnea diagnosis. It felt like every appointment in 2020 brought a new diagnosis or another silent hidden condition. December 30th heart catheterizations in the left and right sides of Randy's heart were performed with the potential for stent(s) placement during an exploratory angiogram.  The results were in... a quadruple bypass. Naturally the days nearing surgery include more testing and clearance for this deeply scary heart remapping procedure. Due to COVID, only one visitor is allowed during Randy's recovery stay at Mayo...it will be a very long two weeks. Randy will be in ICU for the first few days and then off to a regular room for some rest and rehab. Cardiac rehab trips will continue after his release as will his dialysis, the day trips to different towns and healthcare facilities will continue.

October, November and December were physically and emotionally draining for Randy and his immediate family members, as will be January and February. I am thankful that Grandpa enjoys driving and has gone above and beyond being Randy's right hand man as he navigates through appointment coordination in multiple cities and can be present for new meet and greets of specialists and surgeons. I am thankful of the support of Andy and his daily assistance with transporting kids, providing a listening ear, being "the fun one", and his help making meals. I am thankful for all the Stapleton boy's and their medical history and knowledge to help decipher test results and big fancy medical words. I am thankful for Kathy and her communication skills (Aunt Kate = texting) to keep the kids, Randy and I laughing, grounded and supported from a far. I am thankful for my parents for always helping with rides, attendance at the kids games whether it is home or away and our nightly phone calls. Family support for each other is so important! 

February 2nd, 2021 is surgery day.  Please pray for a speedy recovery and strength for our children and all of our family! 

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If you are uncomfortable making an online donation, we welcome you to send a friendly note or the option to mail a direct donation to:
Randy Knecht
226 South Herman Street
Buffalo City, WI 54622

A huge THANK YOU for your cards, prayers, donations, gifts, listening ears and visits that have been received thus far through this journey and THANK YOU in advance to those reaching out to our family in the days ahead. As many of you may know or not know but Randy's Facebook cannot be accessed since his account was hacked earlier in 2020 and he has been unable to reset his password with tech support...so if you have sent messages via Facebook, I do apologize but please know that he is not ignoring you, he has just not seen them. He may have some free time and interest during his recovery to start up a new account, so watch for a friend request. The thoughtful texts, snaps and phone calls to check in on Randy's health have not gone unrecognized! These gestures of hope and care are so important and are feeding his drive to fight! We are also very thankful for his father, Chris and his flexibility to take over and assist in getting Randy to medical appointments, picking up prescriptions, being a huge support person and for his excellent note taking skills during appointments these last few months. That man deserves a gin! To the friends and extended family of Izaiah, Eyan, Ana, Alicia, Andy, Kathy, Arnie, Chris and Linda...THANK YOU for checking in on us too!! Your kindness and warm hearts are much appreciated and humbling. THANK YOU!

#heartbeatsforrandy 
#kidneysofkindness33

If you have ever felt a desire in your heart or have had thoughts of becoming a living donor, have an interest in paired organ donation and would like to be tested as a potential kidney donor for Randy or someone else in great need, please feel free to reach out to us in 2021. Organ donation saves lives!