A Kidney For Kenny
Donation protected
Life was relatively normal for Kenny Sorenson until around age 30. The diabetes diagnosis he had received at age 18 seemed relatively inconsequential until that point. Then at what should have been the prime of his life, Kenny was going blind and doctors struggled to regulate his blood pressure. A meeting with the nephrologist (kidney specialist) and a subsequent biopsy revealed he had end-stage renal disease stage 3.
Meds were started to help prolong the life of his kidneys. But the disease quickly progressed to the point where Kenny suffered from severe fatigue, higher and higher blood pressure, and unending nausea. To add insult to injury, he was also diagnosed with gastroparesis…a paralysis of the stomach that causes severe nausea and vomiting. Due to the extreme nature of the diseases, Kenny was forced to quit work.
The doctor decided to put Kenny on dialysis in order to clean the blood because the kidneys just couldn’t keep up. The process began with peritoneal dialysis at home for ten hours every night. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and a few months later he was switched to in-center Hemo dialysis. A laborious process, four hours a day for three days a week, Kenny endured with the hope of restoring some health. When that didn’t work either, he and his doctors took a bold step. He stopped dialysis completely. As the toxins continued to build up in his body, he felt the effects of the disease as his kidney function lessened. After ten months off dialysis, it became a matter of life or death and he had no choice but to begin treatment again.
At the same time, a new recommendation came from the nephrologist. It was time to get Kenny on the kidney transplant list. Normal kidneys function at a level of 95-100%, his were functioning at 8%. And the side effects of the disease continued to take a toll. Money had to be spent on dental procedures, tests, and numerous hospitalizations due to the gastroparesis. But in February 2018 the news came that he had made the transplant list! He rejoiced at the good news and hope it brought. With it came the realization that along with the transplant, he will have to take medication for the rest of his life. The cost, even after Medicare, will be around $20,000 and the anti-rejection medication will be about $1000 per month.
Obviously, the thing that would help Kenny the most is for everyone to be tested for transplant compatibility in the hope of finding a donor match. You can learn more at this link: HYPERLINK https://muschealth.org/medical-services/transplant/living-donation
Believing that a match will be found, please also consider contributing to the fund that has been set up to assist in covering the enormous costs of these life saving procedures.
Meds were started to help prolong the life of his kidneys. But the disease quickly progressed to the point where Kenny suffered from severe fatigue, higher and higher blood pressure, and unending nausea. To add insult to injury, he was also diagnosed with gastroparesis…a paralysis of the stomach that causes severe nausea and vomiting. Due to the extreme nature of the diseases, Kenny was forced to quit work.
The doctor decided to put Kenny on dialysis in order to clean the blood because the kidneys just couldn’t keep up. The process began with peritoneal dialysis at home for ten hours every night. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and a few months later he was switched to in-center Hemo dialysis. A laborious process, four hours a day for three days a week, Kenny endured with the hope of restoring some health. When that didn’t work either, he and his doctors took a bold step. He stopped dialysis completely. As the toxins continued to build up in his body, he felt the effects of the disease as his kidney function lessened. After ten months off dialysis, it became a matter of life or death and he had no choice but to begin treatment again.
At the same time, a new recommendation came from the nephrologist. It was time to get Kenny on the kidney transplant list. Normal kidneys function at a level of 95-100%, his were functioning at 8%. And the side effects of the disease continued to take a toll. Money had to be spent on dental procedures, tests, and numerous hospitalizations due to the gastroparesis. But in February 2018 the news came that he had made the transplant list! He rejoiced at the good news and hope it brought. With it came the realization that along with the transplant, he will have to take medication for the rest of his life. The cost, even after Medicare, will be around $20,000 and the anti-rejection medication will be about $1000 per month.
Obviously, the thing that would help Kenny the most is for everyone to be tested for transplant compatibility in the hope of finding a donor match. You can learn more at this link: HYPERLINK https://muschealth.org/medical-services/transplant/living-donation
Believing that a match will be found, please also consider contributing to the fund that has been set up to assist in covering the enormous costs of these life saving procedures.
Organizer
William Smith
Organizer
Pickens, SC