Kidney Transplant Update

Happy Wednesday! We are officially halfway through the week! And actually, today is my last day of work for a few weeks. Why? Well…

Back in July I shared that Chris is in need of a kidney transplant. If you missed that post, you can read it HERE. It was an incredibly hard post to write but we received an amazing amount of love and support. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Since then we have been continuing through the transplant evaluation process. Chris went through a lot of testing and he was officially placed on the UNOS transplant list at the end of July.

The fastest way for someone to receive a kidney transplant is through a living donor. The average wait time for a cadaver kidney is 3-5 years, depending on your blood type. Chris happens to have the blood type that requires the longest wait time. We are so fortunate that several of Chris’ family members have the same blood type as him and offered to be tested as kidney donors. Insurance will only pay to test one person at a time, so his brother Justin volunteered to go first.

Chris and Justin had their blood drawn on August 1st to test if Justin was a match. We were told it would take up to 2 weeks for the results to come back. Luckily it didn’t take that long, but I don’t think 9 days has ever felt so long. On August 10th, Justin came over to our house to tell us that he is a match! After the roller coaster ride the last year has been, it was so nice to finally have some good news. Justin even shared the news with a cookie cake, which is Chris’ favorite dessert!

There is extensive testing required for anyone that wants to donate a kidney and Justin has been going through that process for the last several weeks. The transplant team makes absolutely certain that the potential donor is healthy and can be expected to live a full, normal life with one kidney. On September 15th, Justin was officially approved to donate a kidney to Chris!

Their surgery is scheduled for Friday.

This has been an incredibly emotional year for our whole family. Chris was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy last October and even though we were told it was a very serious situation, not one part of me thought he would need a kidney transplant . I’m still in shock that we’re here. But I’m also amazed that we’re here. I’m amazed that kidney transplants are possible and that it’s a treatment option for Chris. I am amazed that so many people offered to be tested for him so he would (hopefully) not have to wait years for a kidney. I am amazed and SO thankful that Justin is a match and is willing to selflessly donate a kidney to Chris. He is literally saving his brother’s life. Although, if you know Justin this will come as no surprise. He is truly a great person.

Please keep our family, and especially Chris and Justin, in your thoughts on Friday as they undergo this life changing surgery. I will be posting updates here on the blog as they recover and we transition into a new normal. Thank you for all of your love and support!