His Son And His Hero
Patient Ambassador - Lee’s Transplant Journey
After being placed on the waitlist, Lee was told that due to the high need for donors, the lower number of registered donors, and the fact that he would need two kidneys; he would be waiting around five to seven years for a deceased donor. He would need to have his kidneys removed and be placed on dialysis until a donor could be found. Lee decided to transfer to a different transplant center, which decided it was possible to remove both kidneys at one time and transplant a single kidney through a living donor. Lee’s son Nicholas was the only option as all of Lee’s other children suffer from PKD. The surgery was a success, and Lee celebrated his 7-year anniversary on the 10th of February, 2023, by eating a double hamburger at Culvers!
Lee was 25 years old when he was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). He is now 72 years old, thanks to the gift of life he received from his son Nicholas. We recently took a walk with Lee through his transplant journey that all began when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was referred to a nephrologist. Lee had been deteriorating very slowly, experiencing back problems and kidney stones. Doctors ran EKGs, stress tests, and more before diagnosing him with PKD. After being prescribed medication, Lee was instructed to continue with his everyday life; he spent his time working as an insurance broker, Little League coach, husband, and father to four children. Finally, at age 63, Lee’s GFR was plummeting even with the Quinapril and high blood pressure pills he had been taking for almost 50 years. In 2016, Lee joined the over 100,000 individuals on the transplant waitlist as his kidneys were too big to function, and his chest cavity was under too much pressure.
After his transplant, Lee decided to promote Donate Life. As a miracle had happened for him, he felt it was his calling to work to help others receive their miracles. Lee uses social media and networking to promote successful transplant stories in Wisconsin. Last year Lee organized education booths in his local library and DMV throughout April to educate individuals on the decision to become a donor. Lee plans to promote donations through more booths, flag raisings, and social media. Lee’s son recovered exceptionally well after becoming his father’s hero; he is now a father to three (nearly four!) children, and lives on a farm about 30 miles from Lee!
When asked why an individual should become a donor, Lee stated, “It's going to be life-changing for everybody and as they say you can't take your organs to heaven, so you might as well use them on earth right? You only need one kidney to function and if you can create more miracles, more miracles are needed!”
