Larry's Kidney Journey

Larry is a long-term type 2 diabetic which is causing his kidneys to shut down. Over the past year or so his kidney function has failed drastically and he is down to 15% function now which puts him in end-stage renal disease. He was added to the donor list in hopes of getting a kidney transplant. Typical wait time is 3-5 years unless you have a live donor willing to donate a kidney. We got very lucky!! Larry has an amazing, wonderful friend who went through extensive medical testing to find out he is a match and is willing to sacrifice one of his kidneys for Larry to live a longer, better life. The surgery is set for 12/13/21. The donor lives in Arizona and is having to fly to Iowa on December 5th and stay here until he is released post-surgery recovery (likely Dec 23). So not only is he giving up an organ, he is putting his life on hold for almost a month! Larry will be in the hospital for recovery for up to a week, depending on how his body is accepting the new kidney, and will be at home in recovery for 6-8 weeks. This is a very hard post for me to write because I hate asking for help but I know my husband has an AMAZING support team behind him and so when people ask what they can do to help, well here it is. We appreciate your support rather it be through donation or keeping Larry and his donor and family in your prayers as they go through this process. This is big, you guys!!! Let’s do this!

With Love,

The Pohren Family - Larry, Stacey, and Kenzie