From Reporter-Herald, Loveland, Colorado, By Shelley Widhalm
When Gary McCormack of Loveland learned that his wife, Phyllis, needed a new kidney, he pulled out a restaurant napkin and started brainstorming with her.
"He told me to concentrate on keeping yourself healthy, and I'll find you a kidney," said Phyllis McCormack, who as a regular exerciser walked five miles a day until her surgery on May 15. "He was my kidney finder. He was my PR guy."
The McCormacks, both 75, brainstormed ways to find a live donor for Phyllis McCormack, who in February 2013 was told she was in stage 4 of kidney failure, caused by her lifelong condition of hereditary polycystic kidney disease, something she learned she had 35 years ago.
Polycystic kidney disease, which killed her mother and other members of her family, caused dozens of benign cysts to form on her kidneys, enlarging them over time and rendering them defunct. With a new kidney, the disease will remain but will not attack the transplant, she said.
In August 2013, Phyllis McCormack was interviewed by the transplant team at the University of Colorado Hospital Denver Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion and told she needed to get on the waiting list for a new kidney.
"How the hell do we find a kidney?" Phyllis McCormack said about their brainstorming session. "We were writing down ideas as fast as they came to us."
Finding a Donor
Their ideas centered on finding a living donor, something they were able to do within nine months, avoiding having to put Phyllis McCormack on dialysis. Now, Gary McCormack, who retired from working in marketing for Hewlett-Packard, wants to guide others through the process he went through with his wife.
"You've got to get up on your feet and find a kidney," Gary McCormack said.
The day of the napkin list, the transplant team had advised Phyllis McCormack to get on the United Network for Organ Sharing list to find a cadaver kidney, which would require a three- to five-year wait time with 115,000 people already needing one. The team informed her that finding a living donor would be optimal to speed up the process, though being on the list is required either way, Phyllis McCormack said.
"We decided to go with a live kidney, because, number one, they're more successful. They last longer," Phyllis McCormack said. "And the transplant is easier."
Following their discussion, Gary McCormack got to work right away, putting posters around town and messages in church bulletins about his wife needing a kidney. He wore a black T-shirt with white lettering every day until April 2014 when the McCormacks found a donor.
The T-shirt said "Kidney Needed Save a Life" and included a phone number to be tested as a potential donor.
"The goal of it was to have people ask, "What's your T-shirt?'" Gary McCormack said.
Gary McCormack would then explain about his wife needing a live donor, which is a relative or healthy person matched by blood type, tissue and antigens. He and their daughters weren't matches, so they had to find someone else to be Phyllis McCormack's donor.
Only one kidney is necessary in a transplant, and the kidney in the donor's body will grow larger and function for both kidneys. The kidney filters out fluids and waste that accumulate in the body.
The Final Donor
The McCormacks landed a spot on a Denver news station, and 174 people responded to their plea from the broadcast and their other efforts.
"We never, ever expected that many," Gary McCormack said.
Three potential donors were perfect matches, and one donor, who wants to remain anonymous, was nearly a perfect match and could have been Phyllis McCormack's sister, Gary McCormack said.
"She's a beautiful, loving woman," Phyllis McCormack said.
The transplant team asked the McCormacks to put together a program to help others find live donors, and the two are working out the details. They are connecting with the donors who wanted to help them to ask if they would consider donating to someone else.
Their program will include outreach, travel and education about the benefits of a live kidney and how to locate one.
"For years, I was silent about it," Phyllis McCormack said. "It's hard for me to say something was wrong and I needed help from someone else."
If interested in learning more about the McCormacks' work on finding live donors, call Gary McCormack at 667-7841.
"You need to be prepared to go to work," he said.
PKD Fundraising
From Plainsman, Huron, South Dakota, BY: SHILOH APPEL
On Saturday, Aug. 30, Andy’s Road Race will take place in Huron with packet pick-up at the Memorial Park shelter and races beginning at 8 a.m. This year the race will honor the life of Harvey Gleich, who passed away in July. All funds raised from the race will go to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (PKD) to support others who are going through what Gleich went through.
“He was a kidney transplant patient because of the polycystic kidney disease,” said coordinator, Laurie Simons. “He had different health issues throughout his life. The reason why we decided to make the walk in his memory is because he had been a volunteer for Andy’s Race and so we wanted to do something in his memory and try and support [his] cause through the PKD foundation.”
By friends and family, Harvey Gleich was known for his healthy outlook on life and his emphasis on exercise, eating healthy and remembering to laugh, even during hard times.
“When he got sick with PKD he joined the Nordby center in 2005,” said Harvey’s wife, Peggy Gleich. “He continued to exercise and go there daily. So, I’m a nurse and I just got done with three days of 12-hour shifts and he would say, ‘You ready to go to the Nordby center?’ I would say,’Jeez, Harvey, I just got done with three 12’s in a row, my feet hurt, my body hurts. I’m so tired.’ He says, ‘You know what? I hurt a lot, too. But I get out of bed and I always feel better after we exercise.’”
Harvey would spend four hours in the gym each day, although a good percentage of that time was spent visiting with people there, according to his wife.
“He loved to talk,” said Peggy. “He was a very upbeat, positive guy. No matter what was handed out to him, he just took it in stride and he would just say, ‘Well, what do we have to do?’”
Harvey was diagnosed with PKD when he was 26 years old. He was told he could do nothing about it. He monitored his kidney functions and blood pressure and continued to exercise. He received a kidney transplant when he was in his 50s.
“It’s interesting that his doctor that diagnosed him was his doctor 30 years later doing the transplant. [Harvey] had the transplant in 2006 and he just couldn’t believe how much better he felt,” said Peggy. “He was so appreciative and he took good care of himself, eating right, exercising and everything.” [Read more]
The Radlett Centre will host the evening in support of the polycystic kidney disease charity and is being organised by Joe and Melanie Arazi.
Only 30 tickets are left for the evening on September 21st, which features performances from Nick Einhorn and Ian Irving.
Tickets cost £25 and can be purchased by contacting joseph.arazi@sky.com.
From Western Telegraph, United Kingdom
Damien McCutcheon, aged 30, his 15-year-old brother-in-law, Connor Anstey; his father-in-law, Chris Anstey and his wife’s uncle, Jeremy Appleyard are planning to set off on their 180-mile ride from Radstock, Somerset on Saturday.
The Somerset riders have been inspired to raise money for the charity after the uncle of Damian’s wife and Connor was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2006, which led to kidney failure.
He was receiving dialysis four times a day until 2012, when he received a new kidney from one of his three sisters.
The gentleman, who has a holiday home in Tenby, had suffered from an aggressive form of IGA nephropathy, which affects the filters of the kidneys.
Said Damian: “There is currently no cure for IGA nepropathy or other forms of kidney disease - only life-extending treatments such as dialysis or a transplant, for which there is a huge shortage of donor organs.
“I decided, therefore, that I wanted to raise money for Kidney Research UK by taking on this cycling challenge in the hope that one day maybe a cure can be found.”
Donations to the riders can be made via www.justgiving.com.ride4kidneyuk.
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