Eau Claire man needing kidney transplant has no shortage of donorsUpdated: 2/7/2009 11:47:02 PM
Placing the organ donor sticker on his next driver's license will be more meaningful to Ken Faanes.
Faanes, who has always indicated on his license that he wants to be a potential organ donor, is in need of one himself - a kidney.
His brothers - Mark, Jeff and Greg - offered him one of their own, as did his wife, Lori, and several others, including family friend Pat Rolbiecki and Eau Claire school board President Carol Craig.
"I didn't even have to ask, and that part has been pretty overwhelming," said Faanes, 46, a father of two.
He is scheduled to receive one of his brother Greg's kidneys Feb. 18 during a transplant at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, in Minneapolis.
Faanes, finance director at the Eau Claire YMCA and an Eau Claire school board member, was diagnosed in 1996 with IgA nephropathy, a disease that damages tiny filtering units in the kidney called glomeruli.
One of the kidney's most important jobs is to filter waste products from the blood, and glomeruli play a key role in that process, according to the National Kidney Foundation. But as more glomeruli are damaged by a protein called IgA, the kidney progressively loses its ability to clear waste from the body.
In some patients with the disease, including Faanes, that loss of kidney function progresses to chronic kidney failure, which requires dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant.
Since his diagnosis, Faanes has been taking fish oil supplements to try to slow the loss of kidney function. He also has been taking medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, two common complications of IgA nephropathy.
"Overall, I don't feel significantly different," he said, adding that he occasionally gets tired in the afternoon.
William Maierhofer, a Luther Midelfort nephrologist, told Faanes about a year ago he was about a year away from needing a transplant.
Initially, Faanes thought his brother Jeff would be his donor, but after testing, doctors determined Greg would be a better fit.
"I feel kind of fortunate that I'm able to help somebody, and that somebody is my brother," said Greg, 48, director of engineering at Cray, who, like his brother, indicates on his driver's license a willingness to donate his organs.
Ken Faanes, who will need to take anti-rejection medication after the transplant, expects to be hospitalized four to six days, provided no complications arise. His recovery, including follow-up tests, is anticipated to take three to eight weeks.
Greg Faanes is expecting a two- or three-day hospital stay and two- to three-week recovery period, depending on how his body adjusts to the surgery.
"I just hope things go well for Ken," Greg said.
Craig, the school board president who also offered to step forward if Faanes' needed a donor, agreed.
"I'm not a heroine," said Craig, who has placed the organ donor sticker on her license for a number of years. "I believe organ donation is an important thing, and it just seemed like the right thing to do, especially for someone like Ken."
While Faanes might miss a few school board meetings as he recovers, she isn't concerned.
"Ken's dedication to the school district has been impeccable," said Craig, who applauded Faanes' willingness to discuss his illness and organ donation.
Following the transplant, there is a chance the disease, which has no cure, could render the new kidney useless over time, but Faanes' focus is on resuming his life.
O'Brien can be reached at 830-5838, 800-236-7077 or christena.obrien@ecpc.com.
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