I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: News Articles => Topic started by: okarol on February 24, 2011, 12:22:18 AM
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Give the Freedom of Life; Donate a Kidney
Maybe you never thought about donating a
kidney, maybe, though, I can plant this seed…. And
You never know…..
Let me begin by saying, I love my son more than I
could ever successfully put into words…
LOVE, love is the catalyst here…
Please read ahead, so I can tell you about my son,
Jacob. From the beginning, we chose his name
because it meant love….. The chosen one…. He
was a born a leader.
Jake decided while he was in High school, that he
wanted to be a Marine. The effects of that silent
sky in September 2001 prevailed. The day he
turned 18 he was officially enlisted and was ready
to leave after graduating high school. In
September 2006, he was in the recruiter’s car
headed to boot camp and December found us at
Paris Island, South Carolina watching him graduate
from the toughest boot camp there is. I was so
incredibly proud.
My plucky young son was a dear
memory, now. The compassionate, resolute young
man was emerging.
Jacob never complained about his bumps and
bruises. Even as a small boy enduring stitches and
shots. The same was true during boot camp. Not
one complaint, only his desire to be one of “the
few, the proud” He was a Marine. Always brave,
always steadfast, Jacob was fitting right into his
footprint of a good man.
It was a July afternoon, when he told me he would
be leaving for Iraq in December 2007. The long
year in Iraq began. Once again, while there might
have been plenty to complain about, Jake was
doing the job he was committed to diligently, and
waiting for the time he’d be home with his wife
and family again. Jacob was promoted
meritoriously to Corporal. Vicky spent that year
not only keeping her new husband at the center of
her attention, but also decided to give her time
generously to Operation Gratitude, an
organization that sends care packages to brave
troops far away from home, fighting for their
country. This new family was serving their
country together.
Jake returned home the following January, healthy
and thrilled to be reunited with his wife. This
healthy, active couple spent their free time doing
things they loved, skiing, snowboarding, surfing,
four wheeling, etc…One Sunday afternoon, Jacob
broke his neck surfing. He miraculously made a
100% recovery! Jake also decided to reenlist,
continuing his service to his country for four more
years.
In the spring of 2010, the kids announced there
would be a new baby in the fall. Over the summer
of 2010, Jake began dealing with serious
headaches thinking it had to do with his neck
injury. Jacob was promoted yet again, Sergeant
Chadwick!
In October, Jacob’s doctor let him know he was
dealing with severe hypertension and a possible
problem with his kidneys. After much testing and
numerous medications, Jacob was scheduled for a
kidney biopsy. October 21, 2010, Jake had
followed instructions to prepare for the surgery
and woke up to find his wife was in labor!! Ella
Marie Chadwick was born healthy and beautiful!!
Jacob’s biopsy was postponed a few more weeks.
Jacob was admitted to the hospital the week
before Christmas with unexpected kidney failure.
His Christmas present was his first round of
dialysis. Without dialysis he cannot live. Jacob
spends four hours a day, three times a week now,
on dialysis. Dialysis mimics the function of the
kidneys filtering the harmful toxins from the blood
and regulates the body’s fluid balance. The
diagnosis finally came back as, Rapid Progressive
Glomerulonephritis which is a condition of the
kidney that is characterized by a rapid loss of
kidney failure. In Jacob’s case no known cause can
be established.
Dialysis is extremely hard on Jacob’s body making
this young Marine very tired to a point where he
can’t even hold a shower head. Jacob has two
options: 1. Get a kidney transplant from a living or
deceased donor or 2. Spend the rest of his life on
dialysis making him bind to a machine with his
health deteriorating. A kidney transplant will help
save and restore Jacob’s life. It eliminates the need
for dialysis to enjoy a life filled with freedom,
energy and productivity. Kidneys from living
donors also offer a number of superior benefits,
from greater success rates to nearly double the
years of function. Live donors are
desired because there are never an
adequate amount of cadaver
donations to meet the needs of
those waiting for a kidney.
Donating a kidney doesn’t
jeopardize the donor’s life; people
live a long, normal, and active life with just one
kidney.
As irony would have it, Jacobs’s blood type is O.
Blood banks love him since he is the universal
donor. However when O types need kidneys they
can only receive them from an O.
Furthermore, this is all I can do (As, I his brother,
and wife are incompatible blood types); make the
world see that my son is a valuable part of it. And
pray that someone will be willing to donate a
kidney. Remind anyone I can reach that Jacob has
served well, along with his wife, our country in the
most demanding way. Together they are raising a
daughter, who needs her Daddy. If you have never
thought about live donation, well, I hope I planted
a seed... Please, please… pass this message along
at the very least…. You just never know. Donating
a kidney is much, much more than helping
someone. Donating means saving a life; saving a
family
Our goal is to beat the odds of a 5+ year waitlist
for a cadaver kidney, not to have Jacob’s body
take the toll predicted, and get him back into life
where he can let his creative, compassionate,
dedicated soul soar. To benefit a world in shortage
of those who will strive to “get the job done”
Thank You for reading. God Bless.
If you have any questions or interested in
d o n a t i n g p l e a s e c o n t a c t
jvechadwick10@hotmail.com
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1100969980026-564/Jakes_Flyer[1].pdf