Wadena Boy Urgently Needs New Kidney

Wadena Boy Urgently Needs New Kidney

Written by MATTHEW JOHNSON
Thursday, 05 February 2009 16:30

Sebeka's Joel Snyder wants so badly to give his nephew, 14-year-old Patrick Sibert of Wadena, one of his kidneys. Unfortunately, Joel is not a compatible donor.

Patrick was born with renal failure, so his mother, Laura (Snyder) Uselman, (Joel's sister) donated one of her kidneys to her son when he was only 16 months old. That kidney has served him well, along with medication, until a recent illness set him back. Now, after building up harmful antibodies to the kidney, Patrick's body is in the process of rejecting it.

"So, we need another kidney," says Laura.

But not just any kidney – a viable kidney.

Due to chronic renal failure, the need for Patrick to receive a viable kidney soon is very great, or he will likely have to go on dialysis to stay alive.

The search is going national, as recent procedures to improve his kidney function have failed, and doctors are giving Patrick about a six percent chance of finding a kidney match, due to all of the harmful antibodies built up in his system. If a good match is found, however, his doctors are confident he can get back to being a healthy 14-year-old kid again.

During a recent evaluation, it was discovered that the kidney Patrick’s mother donated to him 13 years ago was functioning at only about 33 to 35 percent. Once that percentage dips below 20 percent, Patrick will need to go on dialysis.

Joel's decision to find out if his one of his kidneys would meet his nephew's need was easy.

"I guess it wasn't too tough of a decision," Joel recalls, commenting on what a great kid Patrick is.

But when he was tested to see if a kidney from him would be viable, the results were disappointing. Just the willingness to donate his kidney to Patrick was not enough. Tests revealed that Joel's kidney would be very similar to the one his mother donated, the one his body has now built up so many antibodies against.

Other members of the family, including Patrick's step-father, Rick Uselman, would also gladly give Patrick one of their kidneys. Unfortunately, none of them have a match either. Close to 20 people have been tested to see if one of their kidneys would be a viable match for Patrick, and as of this publication, none are.

Even though Joel was not a match for his nephew, he has decided to participate in the next best thing - a paired donor program. That means he would be willing to give a kidney to someone else who needs a kidney once a match is found for Patrick. The transplants would take place simultaneously, with Patrick receiving a new kidney at the same time someone else receives a new kidney from Joel. The program helps break down the barrier of incompatibility.

Joel is undergoing testing for the paired donor program this week. The data from the tests will be entered into a data base the first week of March to help determine his chances of being a donor match for someone else who needs a kidney. If that data base does not yield the desired results, Joel's information will be entered into a larger data base.

Due to the extreme challenge of finding a donor match, Laura has also been gathering information on multi-listing Patrick in other states in an effort to find him a live donor, and is seriously considering California and New York, where most transplants take place. Meanwhile, others volunteers from the area continue to undergo testing to see if they are a possible donor match for Patrick.

"We’ve just got to give him (Patrick) more of a chance. We're hopeful that somebody else will match," Joel said.

As a living donor for her son 13 years ago, Laura has had normal kidney function with her remaining kidney ever since.

To start with, a compatible living donor for Patrick has to have either A or O blood type. The donor can be negative or positive for either of these two blood types, Laura says. In addition, a compatible donor must not have a history of high blood pressure, cancer, or heart or lung diseases.

Anyone interested in being a possible living donor for Patrick should contact Cathy Garvey, transplant coordinator at the University of Minnesota (U of M). To reach her, call 1-800-328-5465. Prospective donors need to mention Patrick's full name and date of birth, which is February 24, 1994.

For more information on the process of becoming a donor for Patrick, visit www.kidneyforpatrick.com. The site was recently established by Patrick's family to expand the search in the hope of finding a compatible donor. You can also receive regular updates on Patrick's condition on his Caring Bridge site at www. caring bridge.org/visit/patricks.

A "Donate Life Benefit" ham dinner for Patrick has been scheduled for Saturday, April 4, at the Wadena Elks Lodge. The cost is a free-will offering. The benefit will feature live and silent auctions. To donate items for the auctions, call 218-371-8333.
The meal is sponsored by Mason Bros., with matching funds by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Proceeds from the benefit will help in the search for a compatible donor. Laura said the plan is for prospective donors not to incur any expenses. She said they will incur absolutely no medical expenses at all, and money from the benefit for Patrick will help defray other donor expenses including time off work, food and lodging.

"They're already giving quite a gift," Joel said.
Cash donations can be sent to First National Bank, Patrick Sibert Benefit, 25 Bryant Ave. SW, Wadena, MN 56482.

Due to the renal failure, Patrick is often tired. On his good days, he can go to school. He enjoys time with friends and family, his pug pal "George," playing computer games and watching movies. He is the son of Rick and Laura (Snyder) Uselman of Wadena, and Brett Sibert. He is also the grandson of Matilda Walimaa of Sebeka.

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