SHEILA NEEDS A KIDNEY

Sheila Needs a Kidney

Some of you may know that I have kidney disease. Over time, my kidney disease has gotten worse causing my kidneys not to work well enough to keep me alive. This is what I am facing now, and my treatment options are limited to dialysis treatments or a living kidney transplant.

End stage renal failure is quiet and masked.You wouldn’t know I was that sick by looking at me. However, I am very sick, I don’t have a lot of energy and I want to sleep all the time. I get winded very easily because of my chronic kidney disease anemia. My heart is now developing fluid around it, as my kidney function declines its ability to get rid of those fluids decreases, I recently was in ICU for nearly a week intubated and unconscious after a cardiac surgeon saved my life by cutting my chest open to release these fluids. I am now slowly recovering and receiving dialysis.

I need a kidney transplant and my medical team has told me that my only option is finding a living donor. 

Receiving a kidney from a living donor will give me more time to do the things I want to do with my life. I want to spend more time with my family and friends. I want to have the energy to do all the things I miss. Walking my dog and going to our beautiful Gem Beach to sit in the sun with my husband. I want to see my niece get married. Watch them build their life together. I want to watch all the children of my Sheehan nieces and nephews grow up. They are all so talented and beautiful with their own unique personalities, just like their parents.  I dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail! I believe I know that trail by heart by my obsession with the YouTube videos of thru-hikers. I want to continue our work with The Pixie Dust Project for Cleveland’s homeless population. We can’t change their lives but we can make a moment for them with a warm coat or sandwich. I’d like to eat at a cafe in Italy or climb Croagh Patrick in Ireland! My mind just races with the list of the many things I have left to do and who I’d like to do them with.

However, finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy. Just ask the 100,000+ people on the waiting list for a lifesaving kidney. Time is not on their side. Some wait for years; many die while waiting. The average wait time is five years or more for a kidney from a deceased donor.  I only have ONE OPTION: receiving a kidney from a living donor.

Asking a family member or a friend to consider donating a kidney to me is difficult. If there were a pill or treatment regimen, I’d quietly do that.  A living kidney donation when implanted typically works faster. Deceased kidneys take time to “wake up”. I cannot afford that time with the issues I have developed from end-stage renal failure.

You might not know a lot about living donation - for some odd reason, I know so many people who have either received kidneys or donated one. Understandably, some people are afraid about the surgery and what living with one kidney will mean for them. Here’s some basic information about kidney donation:

• You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.

• Most donor surgery is done laparoscopically, through tiny incisions. You can still wear a bikini or a banana hammock!

• The recuperation period is usually fairly quick, most donors are home within 24-48 hours.

• The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by my insurance. 

• You will have a separate team of healthcare professionals to evaluate you as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out for YOUR best interests. My husband, Jimmy, was a match and went through the process. He will happily talk to you about it. Unfortunately, his heart is 1cm too big and he cannot donate a kidney. We all know Jimmy has a big heart and it was medically confirmed. 

I know living donation may not be right for everyone for a myriad of reasons — but you can still help! Consider being an organ donor after death and also, help me by sharing my story with everyone you know. At the very least I want to bring awareness to kidney disease and living donation. I am hopeful my efforts will help me receive a kidney and encourage others to consider helping the many people on the waitlist.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. 

Love, 

Sheila

To begin the testing process on my behalf, please contact:

Transplant Center: Cleveland Clinic 216-444-6996

Form To See If You Qualify: https://ewebapps.ccf.org/LivingDonorKidney/