Man advocates physicals, organ donation

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Man advocates physicals, organ donation
By AMY GEISZLER-JONES

Special to The Hays Daily News

As a seemingly healthy young man in his 20s, Hays native Thomas Coker Jr. didn't think an annual checkup really was necessary.

After more than two years on dialysis and a recent kidney transplant, the 27-year-old Coker has become a believer in annual physicals and doesn't hesitate to tell his friends.

"You think you're invincible in your 20s, but life can change so fast," Coker said.

A dialysis tube implanted under his skin on his left forearm will be a lifetime reminder of that for the 1999 Hays High School graduate.

A couple years ago, Coker returned home from work, and his vision began blurring and he felt nauseous. His blood pressure had skyrocketed to 240 over 180, and the blood vessels were bursting in his eyes. He spent two weeks at Hays Medical Center before being transferred to Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita.

At Via Christi, doctors discovered Coker had only 17 percent kidney function because of a condition known as Berger's disease, or IgA nephropathy. It's a common kidney disease, occurring when an antibody called IgA lodges in the kidneys, interfering with the kidneys' ability to filter waste and excess water from one's blood.

Because of an insurance mix-up, Coker's only treatment choice at the time was to receive dialysis until he became eligible for a transplant. Unable to work full-time, he quit his job in the plumbing, heating and air conditioning field to join his dad's body shop in Hays. He'd grown up around cars, Coker said, as his grandfather had a body shop for 40 years in WaKeneey. He tried to remain active in his young son's life, coaching 6-year-old Thomas' sports teams.

When he became eligible for the transplant, he had options to go to hospitals in Denver and Kansas City, as well, but Coker chose Via Christi in Wichita. He liked how the staff monitored his condition, made follow-up calls and helped him find accommodations, among other things, he said.

At 11 p.m. March 10, Coker got the call that a donor had become available, so he and his father rushed to Wichita in the middle of the night. On March 11, Coker received his new lease on life. His sister, Katie, a student at Kansas State University, spent her spring break in Wichita, helping care for her older brother.

More than a month after the transplant, Coker was able to go home to Hays on the weekends and is coaching his son's soccer team.

"Now I can get back to going to Wilson Lake and jet skiing with my son," Coker said.

Coker's situation has not only caused him to become an advocate for annual physical check-ups, but it's prompted several of his family and friends to decide to become organ donors, he said.

http://www.hdnews.net/Story/Transplant051309