Kidney recipient Debbie needs your help
Donation protected
The back story:
Debbie lives in the most northern community in the world, Barrow Alaska, a small close-knit town where she is well-loved. When her kidneys began to fail, living so far north became an obstacle to transplant. If and when a donor match became available for a new kidney, she would need to fly to Seattle for the operation.
For five years she waited for a new kidney and finally last October she was told a deceased donor match was found but she had to get to Seattle immediately for the transplant operation to be successful. Sadly, she couldn’t get a flight in time and so the long wait continued. Until last month.
New kidney through a donor chain
On Feb. 26, Debbie got a new kidney from a living donor – made possible through what is known as a kidney donor chain. This is a remarkable model that starts with an altruistic donor, someone who has volunteered to donate their kidney to someone in need, not a specific individual. When a donor steps up to do this, it can create a lifesaving chain reaction.
How I know Debbie and our donor chain
I’m the person who gave my kidney to Debbie, but until after the transplant, we had never met. You see, I’m one of the links in the donor chain. Here’s how it worked:
· I intended to give my kidney to a close friend, DC.
· When it was discovered that DC and I were not a match, I became a link in the donor chain.
· Steve, an altruistic donor, was a perfect match for DC and gave his kidney to him.
· With his donation, I was able to step in and help out Debbie.
(DC, Steve, Debbie and me, meeting at VM)
These living donations usually take place cross-country rather than in the same hospital. All four of us had the transplants done at Virginia Mason in Seattle, which provided a rare opportunity for everyone in this donor chain to meet in person. Meeting Debbie and getting to know her and her family has been a rich and deeply rewarding experience for me. And when I learned her story, it became apparent that being away from her home came with extra costs.
Her requirements
DC, Steve and I all live relatively close to the hospital. But not Debbie. Since follow-up medical support is not available in Barrow, she will live in Seattle with a caretaker for more than three months for important monitoring to help acclimate her to her new kidney.
How you can help
Debbie’s insurance is paying for her to stay in a small unit across the street from VM. But the expense of living away from home includes many additional costs that are not covered. Now that she has a healthy kidney, DC, Steve and I are asking for help for Debbie’s healing.
A short list of her needs that are not covered include:
· Help with missing wages. When not in Seattle, Debbie works at the Barrow hospital as an interpreter. She’s missing nearly four months of income to be here in Seattle.
· Caregiver costs. Since she is required to have a caregiver while here, her three grown children are taking turns in that role. When they are here, they are also missing work and income back home. None of these expenses are covered.
· Extra airfare. The plane fare for her kids isn’t covered, and in taking turns, there is the added expense of their multiple trips.
· Food and other necessities. There’s a small stipend of $35 a day for Debbie and her caretaker for food, which is not enough to cover the high cost of food in downtown Seattle, where grocery stores are scarce.
Your donations will help cover the cost for her to bring her children here to look after her while she is healing and to also help pay for ongoing bills back home. Donations will also go toward food and necessities while her health is being monitored in Seattle.
Debbie’s health and healing
Creatinine level is a way to test the health of someone’s kidney. When I started testing to be a donor, my level was at 0.85, which indicated I had well-functioning kidneys. Creatinine levels that are higher than 5.0 indicate severe kidney impairment; prior to the transplant, Debbie’s was at 8. Some of the best news in my life was learning that my donation to her brought her creatinine level to 1.
Not everyone can be a living donor, but by making a contribution to help Debbie with her high costs of healing, you can become an important link in our living donor chain.
Spread the news!
Please post this link on your Facebook page and share with your friends and family.
Debbie lives in the most northern community in the world, Barrow Alaska, a small close-knit town where she is well-loved. When her kidneys began to fail, living so far north became an obstacle to transplant. If and when a donor match became available for a new kidney, she would need to fly to Seattle for the operation.
For five years she waited for a new kidney and finally last October she was told a deceased donor match was found but she had to get to Seattle immediately for the transplant operation to be successful. Sadly, she couldn’t get a flight in time and so the long wait continued. Until last month. New kidney through a donor chain
On Feb. 26, Debbie got a new kidney from a living donor – made possible through what is known as a kidney donor chain. This is a remarkable model that starts with an altruistic donor, someone who has volunteered to donate their kidney to someone in need, not a specific individual. When a donor steps up to do this, it can create a lifesaving chain reaction.
How I know Debbie and our donor chain
I’m the person who gave my kidney to Debbie, but until after the transplant, we had never met. You see, I’m one of the links in the donor chain. Here’s how it worked:
· I intended to give my kidney to a close friend, DC.
· When it was discovered that DC and I were not a match, I became a link in the donor chain.
· Steve, an altruistic donor, was a perfect match for DC and gave his kidney to him.
· With his donation, I was able to step in and help out Debbie.
(DC, Steve, Debbie and me, meeting at VM)These living donations usually take place cross-country rather than in the same hospital. All four of us had the transplants done at Virginia Mason in Seattle, which provided a rare opportunity for everyone in this donor chain to meet in person. Meeting Debbie and getting to know her and her family has been a rich and deeply rewarding experience for me. And when I learned her story, it became apparent that being away from her home came with extra costs.
Her requirements
DC, Steve and I all live relatively close to the hospital. But not Debbie. Since follow-up medical support is not available in Barrow, she will live in Seattle with a caretaker for more than three months for important monitoring to help acclimate her to her new kidney.
How you can help
Debbie’s insurance is paying for her to stay in a small unit across the street from VM. But the expense of living away from home includes many additional costs that are not covered. Now that she has a healthy kidney, DC, Steve and I are asking for help for Debbie’s healing.
A short list of her needs that are not covered include:
· Help with missing wages. When not in Seattle, Debbie works at the Barrow hospital as an interpreter. She’s missing nearly four months of income to be here in Seattle.
· Caregiver costs. Since she is required to have a caregiver while here, her three grown children are taking turns in that role. When they are here, they are also missing work and income back home. None of these expenses are covered.
· Extra airfare. The plane fare for her kids isn’t covered, and in taking turns, there is the added expense of their multiple trips.
· Food and other necessities. There’s a small stipend of $35 a day for Debbie and her caretaker for food, which is not enough to cover the high cost of food in downtown Seattle, where grocery stores are scarce.
Your donations will help cover the cost for her to bring her children here to look after her while she is healing and to also help pay for ongoing bills back home. Donations will also go toward food and necessities while her health is being monitored in Seattle.
Debbie’s health and healing
Creatinine level is a way to test the health of someone’s kidney. When I started testing to be a donor, my level was at 0.85, which indicated I had well-functioning kidneys. Creatinine levels that are higher than 5.0 indicate severe kidney impairment; prior to the transplant, Debbie’s was at 8. Some of the best news in my life was learning that my donation to her brought her creatinine level to 1.
Not everyone can be a living donor, but by making a contribution to help Debbie with her high costs of healing, you can become an important link in our living donor chain. Spread the news!
Please post this link on your Facebook page and share with your friends and family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Wendy Holte Johnson
Organizer
Bainbridge Island, WA
Deborah Leavitt Nayakik
Beneficiary