This is Gene.
Gene had PKD.
He found a living donor.

What is PKD?

PKD stands for polycystic kidney disease. It’s a genetic disease that causes uncontrolled growth of cysts in the kidney, eventually leading to kidney failure. A typical kidney is the size of a human fist and weighs about a third of a pound. In people with PKD, kidneys can be much larger, some growing as large as a football, and weighing many pounds each. Mine were even larger before my transplant and quite possibly the largest. They were big, but they were not strong. Normal kidneys function at very high levels, but mine were functioning before my transplant surgery at 17%. Typically, the need for a transplant becomes urgent when kidneys function at 15% or below. When it came to my kidneys, time was running out. Luckily for me, through all of the outreach, a close friend named Bill Mcneese became my hero donor; he gave me a new kidney and a new lease on life. I am very blessed!

Become a Donor

What difference did a kidney transplant make for Gene?

Kidney transplant is a major surgery with a phased recovery period. Still, when compared to dialysis, kidney transplant offers people like Gene the opportunity for a longer, healthier, and more satisfying life. A kidney transplant enables people to enjoy basic aspects of life that many of us take for granted:

Freedom from dialysis

Not having to be connected to a machine, typically three days a week, to live

Independence

Being able to keep a normal job and be productive in all aspects of life

Food

The ability to eat normal food

Water

Having a kidney means no fluid restrictions

Exercise

A return to a normal, healthy lifestyle

Compassion

Ability to pursue normal relationships without dialysis taking control

 Travel

The ability to work a normal job and travel as needed to see family

Become a Hero

So many deserving people struggle daily as they both endure PKD and look for a hero who is willing to donate a kidney and save their lives. Some of the benefits to becoming a living donor include:

Giving a life back to someone special makes it possible for them to pay it forward and live a productive life!

Peace of mind that living kidney donors thrive with one kidney, just as they did with two kidneys

All hero kidney donors go to the very top of the list if they ever were to need a kidney themselves

Guaranteed compensation for any time from work, including your recovery

Medicare coverage for kidney-related health needs – for life

Are there other options?

Well, there’s dialysis. While it can save lives, it comes at a cost.

Dialysis is a method to keep you alive long enough to find a living donor kidney. Dialysis is confining and inconvenient. Patients are tethered to a machine for three-to four-hour sessions in a clinic, typically three times per week. Dialysis is exhausting for patients and fraught with morbidity and eventual mortality.

In fact, 40% of people who start dialysis die within five years.

A Day in the Life

Resources

We all need a helping hand. View a list of some of these great organizations.