From WRTV, ABC Affiliate Channel 6, Indianapolis, IN, by Amanda Starrantino
Two Whitestown brothers are taking a special journey together – sharing a passion for racecars, and also a rare disease with no cure.
Isaac and Eli Fox were born just three years apart, and they both share the need for speed. But every day off the track, the brothers have a different race to worry about.
"We have ARPKD," the brothers explained. "My kidneys have cysts on them. My liver is shutting down, or eventually will, and so is my spleen. They are both enlarged."
The boys have autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease – a rare genetic disorder found in one-in-20,000 children. The Fox family has two of the 12 children in Indiana with the disease.
For now, with no cure, the Fox brothers go day-by-day with the knowledge that their clock is ticking faster than most.
"The way we let them live their lives with racing and being in athletics as much as they are able to," said the boys' father Jamie. "Because we always know that the day is coming that they will have to have transplants, that they are not necessarily going to take a turn for the worst, but it will get much harder before they get better."
The brothers are both on the two-year track for transplants for their kidneys and livers. Their spleens will have to be removed too.
This weekend, the Fox family will be participating in the Indianapolis Walk for PKD. Their team has so fair raised nearly $1,000.
Click here to learn more about the Indianapolis Walk for PKD , orhere to learn more about the disease itself.
Gift of Life
From The Daily News, Longview, WA
Cowlitz 2 firefighter to donate kidney to local woman
A Cowlitz 2 firefighter has found another way to serve his community.
Brad Yoder, a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Firefighter/EMT, will donate his right kidney to Dana Clayton, a local woman who is lifelong friends with Yoder’s wife, Laura, according to a Cowlitz 2 press release.
The surgery will take place Monday at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland.
Clayton suffers from Polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. Yoder’s kidney is an exact match.
According to the press release, PKD cysts can greatly enlarge the kidneys and replace their normal structure, which can result in kidney disease. Kidney function declines over time and can lead to kidney failure. Clayton is in the end stages of the disease, according to the press release.
“Most candidates go through a four to six-month testing process before finding a match,” Yoder said, according to the press release. “Ours took only six weeks; it was just meant to be. For me, this is the ultimate in servanthood. I’m donating so that she can live, period.”
In order for Yoder to take enough time off from work to undergo and recover from the operation, multiple employees donated sick time to him.
“My brothers and sisters from Local 3828 and all the employees at Cowlitz 2 have been super supportive,” he said. “This brotherhood and department breathes and selflessly displays servanthood. ... I am blessed to be a part of this organization.”
Yoder and his two brothers grew up in Kalona, Iowa. After high school, Yoder enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and achieved the rank of Lance Corporal. He later moved to Washington and began riding bulls in rodeo circuits. In 2001 he signed up to serve as a volunteer firefighter for Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue and fought wildland fires working for the U.S. Forest Service.
Cowlitz 2 hired Yoder full time in 2007. In addition to responding to emergencies, Yoder has instructed the agency’s high school cadet program for 10 years. He and his students also created a memorial, featuring an actual piece of steel from the World Trade Center, honoring those lost in terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Every 10 minutes someone is added to the national transplant waiting list, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
But as the number of people in need of a lifesaving organ transplant continues to grow, the number of donors does not. However, one local woman is doing her part to help by becoming a living donor.
"I am going to do this, as long as I am healthy. I am going to give my kidney,” said 27-year-old Savannah Allds.
Savannah said it's been a goal of hers all her life, and her mother can attest to that ambition.
“She is pretty determined -- stubborn sometimes-- and she certainly is set in her beliefs,” said Cynthia Allds, Savannah’s mother.
“I have known for a very long time I wanted to be a donor, but didn't get very serious with it until my 20s when my mom’s health declined,” said Savannah.
“My kidney function right now is 18 to 19 percent,” said Cynthia.
In her early 20s, Cynthia was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, which is a disease where cysts form on the kidneys and destroy their function.
At first, Cynthia didn't really worry about it, but over the past several months the disease has started to take its toll.
“You may look at me and say you look healthy, but it's really how you feel. With that low of a function, it's very tiring. I can get up and two hours later I am exhausted,” said Cynthia.
“I saw what happens to the body and the progression of the disease throughout the years,” said Savannah.
“This year I was told I have been teetering on preparing for dialysis. When I was told that, I started crying because reality is here,” said Cynthia.
Cynthia needs a kidney transplant. Doctors typically look at family members first because they are more likely to be a match, but polycystic kidney disease is hereditary, which means Savannah is at risk of having it too. However, Savannah isn't going to stop her from trying to donate her kidney to her mom.
“I fought with my mom’s doctors. They didn't want me to do it until I am 30 but my mom doesn’t' have until then,” said Savannah.
“She literally sat there and argued with him that she wanted genetic testing,” said Cynthia.
After countless tests, scans and months of waiting, Savannah was cleared to donate her kidney to her mother. On June 24, Savannah and her mother checked into Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, Minnesota.
“If I can give my mom 5 to 10 years with a healthy kidney, I would be grateful for that,” said Savannah.
“Words can't even explain it, really. It's just kind of like an odd sense of my daughter is giving me a gift,” said Cynthia. “I gave her life and she is giving me life back basically and it's just, I am glowing inside but I don't have words to describe it."
The transplant was successful and after about eight weeks of taking it easy Savannah will be back to normal, but her mother's life will be changed forever and she has her daughter to thank for that.
“I love you (Savannah),” said Cynthia.
Because Savannah was being tested to give her kidney to her mother, throughout the entire process she had her own team -- a team that knew nothing about her mother's situation so that they could keep Savannah's best interest in the forefront when making the final decision to allow her to donate her kidney.
If Savannah had not been able to give her kidney, Cynthia said she had a friend who was willing to donate a kidney to her as well so she said she has been very lucky.
Allds is one of about 7,700 people who have donated an organ this year so far. Her hope is that by sharing her story, others will consider being a living donor or sign up to be a donor after death. You can find more information atdonorregistry.wisconsin.gov.
PKD Fundraising
From Big Sky Business Journal, San Diego, CA
PKD Foundation Golf Fundraiser
The annual Callan Taylor Fund for Kidney Disease Charity Golf Tournament will hold its fifth event in Billings this year on Sunday, September 11 at Pryor Creek Golf Course. Previous tournaments have been held in San Diego, CA, where the fundraiser was first launched by the family of the little boy, who is its namesake.
Since Callan Taylor had family members in both San Diego and Billings, and since many people in Billings have been involved and have supported the fundraiser, organizers decided to hold it in Billings this year. Funds raised benefit the PKD Foundation. Callan died due to Polsycistic Kidney Disease.
Sponsors so far include Callaway Golf, Aero Club of San Diego, Brazen BBQ of San Diego, the High Horse of Billings, Big Sky Collision of Billings and the Big Sky Business Journal of Billings. Additional sponsors are being sought, as are teams to participate in the tournament. Contributions are also welcome.
For more information call Reid Pyburn, 406-690-1135
Isaac and Eli Fox were born just three years apart, and they both share the need for speed. But every day off the track, the brothers have a different race to worry about.
"We have ARPKD," the brothers explained. "My kidneys have cysts on them. My liver is shutting down, or eventually will, and so is my spleen. They are both enlarged."
The boys have autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease – a rare genetic disorder found in one-in-20,000 children. The Fox family has two of the 12 children in Indiana with the disease.
For now, with no cure, the Fox brothers go day-by-day with the knowledge that their clock is ticking faster than most.
"The way we let them live their lives with racing and being in athletics as much as they are able to," said the boys' father Jamie. "Because we always know that the day is coming that they will have to have transplants, that they are not necessarily going to take a turn for the worst, but it will get much harder before they get better."
The brothers are both on the two-year track for transplants for their kidneys and livers. Their spleens will have to be removed too.
This weekend, the Fox family will be participating in the Indianapolis Walk for PKD. Their team has so fair raised nearly $1,000.
Click here to learn more about the Indianapolis Walk for PKD , orhere to learn more about the disease itself.
Gift of Life
From The Daily News, Longview, WA
Cowlitz 2 firefighter to donate kidney to local woman
A Cowlitz 2 firefighter has found another way to serve his community.
Brad Yoder, a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Firefighter/EMT, will donate his right kidney to Dana Clayton, a local woman who is lifelong friends with Yoder’s wife, Laura, according to a Cowlitz 2 press release.
The surgery will take place Monday at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland.
Clayton suffers from Polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. Yoder’s kidney is an exact match.
According to the press release, PKD cysts can greatly enlarge the kidneys and replace their normal structure, which can result in kidney disease. Kidney function declines over time and can lead to kidney failure. Clayton is in the end stages of the disease, according to the press release.
“Most candidates go through a four to six-month testing process before finding a match,” Yoder said, according to the press release. “Ours took only six weeks; it was just meant to be. For me, this is the ultimate in servanthood. I’m donating so that she can live, period.”
In order for Yoder to take enough time off from work to undergo and recover from the operation, multiple employees donated sick time to him.
“My brothers and sisters from Local 3828 and all the employees at Cowlitz 2 have been super supportive,” he said. “This brotherhood and department breathes and selflessly displays servanthood. ... I am blessed to be a part of this organization.”
Yoder and his two brothers grew up in Kalona, Iowa. After high school, Yoder enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and achieved the rank of Lance Corporal. He later moved to Washington and began riding bulls in rodeo circuits. In 2001 he signed up to serve as a volunteer firefighter for Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue and fought wildland fires working for the U.S. Forest Service.
Cowlitz 2 hired Yoder full time in 2007. In addition to responding to emergencies, Yoder has instructed the agency’s high school cadet program for 10 years. He and his students also created a memorial, featuring an actual piece of steel from the World Trade Center, honoring those lost in terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
From WKBT-TV Channel 8, La Crosse, WI, by Brittany Schmidt
But as the number of people in need of a lifesaving organ transplant continues to grow, the number of donors does not. However, one local woman is doing her part to help by becoming a living donor.
"I am going to do this, as long as I am healthy. I am going to give my kidney,” said 27-year-old Savannah Allds.
Savannah said it's been a goal of hers all her life, and her mother can attest to that ambition.
“She is pretty determined -- stubborn sometimes-- and she certainly is set in her beliefs,” said Cynthia Allds, Savannah’s mother.
“I have known for a very long time I wanted to be a donor, but didn't get very serious with it until my 20s when my mom’s health declined,” said Savannah.
“My kidney function right now is 18 to 19 percent,” said Cynthia.
In her early 20s, Cynthia was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, which is a disease where cysts form on the kidneys and destroy their function.
At first, Cynthia didn't really worry about it, but over the past several months the disease has started to take its toll.
“You may look at me and say you look healthy, but it's really how you feel. With that low of a function, it's very tiring. I can get up and two hours later I am exhausted,” said Cynthia.
“I saw what happens to the body and the progression of the disease throughout the years,” said Savannah.
“This year I was told I have been teetering on preparing for dialysis. When I was told that, I started crying because reality is here,” said Cynthia.
Cynthia needs a kidney transplant. Doctors typically look at family members first because they are more likely to be a match, but polycystic kidney disease is hereditary, which means Savannah is at risk of having it too. However, Savannah isn't going to stop her from trying to donate her kidney to her mom.
“I fought with my mom’s doctors. They didn't want me to do it until I am 30 but my mom doesn’t' have until then,” said Savannah.
“She literally sat there and argued with him that she wanted genetic testing,” said Cynthia.
After countless tests, scans and months of waiting, Savannah was cleared to donate her kidney to her mother. On June 24, Savannah and her mother checked into Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, Minnesota.
“If I can give my mom 5 to 10 years with a healthy kidney, I would be grateful for that,” said Savannah.
“Words can't even explain it, really. It's just kind of like an odd sense of my daughter is giving me a gift,” said Cynthia. “I gave her life and she is giving me life back basically and it's just, I am glowing inside but I don't have words to describe it."
The transplant was successful and after about eight weeks of taking it easy Savannah will be back to normal, but her mother's life will be changed forever and she has her daughter to thank for that.
“I love you (Savannah),” said Cynthia.
Because Savannah was being tested to give her kidney to her mother, throughout the entire process she had her own team -- a team that knew nothing about her mother's situation so that they could keep Savannah's best interest in the forefront when making the final decision to allow her to donate her kidney.
If Savannah had not been able to give her kidney, Cynthia said she had a friend who was willing to donate a kidney to her as well so she said she has been very lucky.
Allds is one of about 7,700 people who have donated an organ this year so far. Her hope is that by sharing her story, others will consider being a living donor or sign up to be a donor after death. You can find more information atdonorregistry.wisconsin.gov.
PKD Fundraising
From Big Sky Business Journal, San Diego, CA
PKD Foundation Golf Fundraiser
The annual Callan Taylor Fund for Kidney Disease Charity Golf Tournament will hold its fifth event in Billings this year on Sunday, September 11 at Pryor Creek Golf Course. Previous tournaments have been held in San Diego, CA, where the fundraiser was first launched by the family of the little boy, who is its namesake.
Since Callan Taylor had family members in both San Diego and Billings, and since many people in Billings have been involved and have supported the fundraiser, organizers decided to hold it in Billings this year. Funds raised benefit the PKD Foundation. Callan died due to Polsycistic Kidney Disease.
Sponsors so far include Callaway Golf, Aero Club of San Diego, Brazen BBQ of San Diego, the High Horse of Billings, Big Sky Collision of Billings and the Big Sky Business Journal of Billings. Additional sponsors are being sought, as are teams to participate in the tournament. Contributions are also welcome.
For more information call Reid Pyburn, 406-690-1135
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