A Special Plea for a Dear Friend

Kim (Ward) Polhemus is a dear friend of mine.  She needs help.

Dear Friends, This is a difficult email to write and it is likely to be long, so I ask you to please bear with me. You may know I have Poly Cystic Kidney Disease (PKD). This is a progressive genetic disease that causes cysts to grow on my kidneys to the point of making them non-functioning. There are few symptoms, no treatment and no cure. I have known about it for many years and am now at the end stages of kidney failure. I am looking for a kidney donor in order to have a ‘preemptive transplant’. If I can find a donor, I can have a transplant and avoid spending a shortened life on dialysis. I have as little as one month, but hopefully as many as six months of kidney function left. Getting on a donor list is not an option because the wait time on a donor list is longer than the life expectancy on dialysis.

I have 2 fantastic sisters. Michelle is the healthy sister and my sister Kathy has the same disease I do. Kathy is in end stage kidney failure also. She and I have kidded for years about having to be nice to Michelle so she’ll give us her kidney. Our plan was for the three of us to get tested and whoever was the closest match to Michelle would have the transplant with her. As is sometimes the case, God has other plans. The tests showed Kathy and I are both exactly the same match to Michelle. So, without the Wisdom of Solomon, we are left to try to figure out who gets the kidney from Michelle and how we leave one sister without a lifesaving transplant. Our solution is to find a second donor so that we are both able to go on to lead a normal life.

Maybe you will feel called to be a donor or maybe it will be someone you know. I am sure my new kidney is out there somewhere and is coming to me. I just have to be patient until God reveals where it is coming from. I can’t be shy and ask you to please give prayerful thought to the possibility of being my donor and to circulate my story to friends and family as widely as possible.

Here is a bit of what is involved. The donor has his or her own surgeon and transplant coordinator so there is no conflict of interest. The donor’s health and well-being is the primary goal. The donor surgery is done laproscopically and the recovery is about 3-4 weeks. There are no long-term effects and the donor has a normal life span. My insurance covers all donor medical expenses. My husband and I will cover any out of pocket expenses and lost wages during recovery. The process starts with a phone call to the transplant coordinator at Yale (Miles Narido, RN, 203-688-8372) to give a medical history. A donor will be ruled out with any of the following; history of hypertension, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, lupus, cancer and kidney stones. From there it is a simple blood test to determine compatibility. If, by God’s grace we are compatible, we go from there. Below are some very good websites for further information.

Thank you for your prayers. What ever happens, I want you to know how very much I appreciate the thought you give to this possibility.

Peace,

Kim Polhemus

American Assn of Kidney Patients www.aakp.org
American Transplant Assoc www.americantranslant.org
National Kidney Foundation www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors
These are just a few; you can find others on Google.

Tags: 005 Personal