More than a year has come and gone since I wrote about Julie Dodds, a mother of three young boys and a Kamloops resident.
She had just revealed that she has a genetic kidney disease — Medullary Kidney Disease Type 1 — and had reached Stage 4. That is the last stage before a person enters kidney failure.
At that time, she wrote: “My kidneys are failing and I need a LIVING KIDNEY DONOR to have the best chance at life.
“I understand that this is a huge request, but for myself, for my husband, who wants nothing other than to be able to save me from all of this, for my three boys, who still need their mom to be present and healthy in their lives, it would mean absolutely everything.”
She also added this:
“WILL YOU HELP?
- Any healthy adult can donate one of their kidneys — and, thanks to paired kidney exchange, you don’t have to be a blood-type match to the recipient!
- You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.
- Most donor surgery is done laparoscopically, meaning through tiny incisions.
- The recuperation period is usually fairly quick, generally two weeks after 1-2 days in hospital.
- The donor will have a separate team of healthcare professionals to evaluate her/him as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out for YOUR best interests.”
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One of the important numbers to those with kidney disease is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), something that is found via a blood test. According to the National Kidney Foundation, if your GFR is between 29 and 15, you are in Stage 4. If it slips below that, you are in kidney failure and closing in on dialysis, either peritoneal or hemo.
Today, that is where Julie finds herself.
Allan, Julie’s husband, now has started a GoFundMe page on which he reports that Julie’s GFR is at 13. “Over time,” he writes, “her kidney disease has gotten worse, causing her kidneys not to work well enough to keep her alive. . . . With such a lower function, Julie continues to try and be Super Mom/friend, but energy levels are now a struggle to keep up to her level of Mom-hood.”
In a perfect world, a kidney from a live donor will be found for her before she has to go on dialysis.
In the meantime, that GoFundMe page is right here. Included is a look at the various expenses that Allan is hoping to be able to cover via donations to the page.
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If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:
Living Kidney Donor Program
St. Paul’s Hospital
6A Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-9027
Toll free: 1-877-922-9822
Fax: 604-806-9873
Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca
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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182
kidneydonornurse@vch.ca
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Or, for more information, visit right here.
TAKING NOTE 