Kidney Transplant for Anousith

Cover Photo: Anousith after his first ever round of emergency dialysis in Luang Prabang.

Who is Anousith and why does he need a transplant?

Anousith is a 26-year-old husband and father from Luang Prabang, Laos. He is our dear friend, and on January 18, 2023, he was diagnosed with final stage kidney failure in both kidneys.

Anousith and Zack at a provincial hospital in northeastern Thailand in February 2023 during a trip to get further diagnosis and seek out transplant options.

Anousith tells his story:

Does Anousith have a donor?

Yes, he does—and it's a match! A close blood relative of Anousith's volunteered to go through the donor matching process, which happened from February to April 2024, and in May, Anousith found out that the donor is a match for him! We are so thankful.

In Laos, it's common to have to travel to another city or even country to receive needed medical care. Here Anousith and his wife Bee wait to board a flight to Bangkok in February 2023 for the first of several donor evaluation trips.

When is the transplant?

The transplant is scheduled to take place sometime the first week of July 2024.

Where is Anousith getting the transplant?

Anousith will get the transplant at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Kidney transplants are not yet commonly done in Laos, and Thailand was a good choice because the Lao language and the Thai language are similar so that Anousith doesn't need an interpreter.

In addition, Bumrungrad is a world-class hospital: the kidney donor is taking a big step of self-sacrifice, and we want to honor that by making sure they receive the best care possible.

Traveling to the transplant hospital in a city the size of Bangkok for the first time was a big deal for Anousith and family. Luang Prabang is this big ...

... while Bangkok is this big!

Why did you start this GoFundMe for Anousith?

In Laos, the average monthly salary is $90-$150, health insurance is not commonly available, and dialysis costs $48 a round. Anousith and his wife Bee, who—although she works at a cafe 6 days a week as the main breadwinner for the family now—could never afford the three rounds per week of dialysis. And so at the beginning of this life-changing challenge, we initially raised money for life-sustaining dialysis for a year and have continued raising money for further dialysis as well as a kidney transplant.

This transplant will free Anousith from the constraints and exhaustion of dialysis, giving him a new chance at a normal—and longer—life.

In January 2023, after a few days at the Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital, Zack and Anousith flew down to Vientiane (the capital of Laos), where Anousith received excellent care during the remainder of the "crisis" stage of his diagnosis at Lao Viet Hospital. His family followed on the train the next day.

How much money do you need for the transplant?

We are so excited to share that an anonymous financial donor has agreed to cover the cost of the transplant itself: this includes the surgery cost for Anousith and for the kidn3y donor.

That said, there is about $39,500 in other costs. The breakdown is as follows:

At the time of the surgery, we will have about $17,300 or a little more remaining from what we have raised so far. The reasons why we don't still have more available are varied: (1) the cost of dialysis has been more than we anticipated; (2) Anousith had to travel to get dialysis sometimes; (3) dialysis costs were subject to inflation; and (4) the cost of the donor evaluation was higher than anticipated due to medical complications for Anousith and the donor that needed to be taken care of.

All that said, at the time of the surgery, we will have about $17,300 on hand, so we need to raise $22,200 more ($39,500-$17,300).

Dialysis isn't always widely available in Luang Prabang, but for the most part over the last year, Anousith has been able to get life-sustaining dialysis at the Luang Prabang Army Hospital three times a week. Other times, he's traveled to Vientiane (the capital of Laos).

Would you consider helping to give Anousith the chance at a normal life, free of the constraints of dialysis through the power of a new kidney, a chance to watch his son Tito grow up? Every little bit counts, $1 or $1000. Please give as you feel led, but here are specific amounts to help inform your giving:

With a kidney transplant, the hope is that Anousith would be healthy enough to work again and be able to help his wife Bee provide for their family and raise their little son, Tito.

Suggested Giving Levels

With deep gratitude,

Zack Anderson and Sarah Miller

Noah Arnold

Shane and Krista Doiron

Jocelyn VanDerPloeg

Aden Phongthavee

Raley and Chuck Mullins