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This is Sue's Story:

Long Time Boulder Resident and Half Marathon Runner Needs a Kidney

Hello. My name is Susan Bennett, and I want to thank you for taking the time to read about me and my request for help.

Some of you may know that I have Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a genetic disease which is passed from parent to child and for which there is no treatment or cure. I learned of my condition by chance 23 years ago, and through close medical monitoring and conscious lifestyle choices, the progression of my disease had been slow until a few years ago. Over time, my kidney health has gotten worse, causing them to not work well enough to keep me alive. My treatment options are limited to dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Getting regular dialysis treatments, usually three times a week for four hours at a time, will take the place of my kidneys and keep me alive for four to five years. However, a transplant would offer me more freedom and the ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life. A transplant would also give me more time to do the things I enjoy like running, hiking, gardening, volunteering, and most important, spending precious time with my family and friends.

However, finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy. Just ask the 92,000+ people like me on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. Time is not on our side. Some wait for years; many die while waiting. The estimated wait time in Colorado for my blood type is six years or more. However, there is another option: receiving a kidney from a living donor. A living kidney donation typically lasts longer and has better function than dialysis and/or a deceased donor kidney. Have you ever considered giving the gift of life through living donation?

Asking a family member or a friend to consider donating a kidney is unimaginably difficult, but it greatly improves my chances of finding a donor. You might not know a lot about living donation - I know I didn’t before kidney disease affected my life. 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, meaning through tiny incisions.

· The recuperation period is usually quick, generally two weeks.

· The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by my insurance. My transplant team can give you extensive information on this.

· 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, as well as look out for YOUR best interests.

I am grateful for my ability to remain active as I move toward more extensive medical intervention. Unfortunately, I am painfully aware that I will lose this ability as my disease continues to progress. There is a lot of life left for me that I would like to continue to enjoy with family, friends, in running, gardening, being out in nature, and in helping others. 

The gift of life from a living donation will make this, and so much more, possible.

If you would like more information about Polycystic Kidney Disease, the website at pkdcure.org is informative.

To learn about living donation, please visit the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) website at www.kidney.org/livingdonation . You may also contact the NKF’s free, confidential helpline at 855.NKF.CARES (855.653.2273) or nkfcares [at] kidney [dot] org. Also, the American Transplant Foundation website at https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/living-don... provides extensive donor information and support.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If donating a kidney to me is something you would consider, you can

contact my transplant team directly at www.Centura.donorscreen.org.