Lost 65 lbs., got a kidney

[okarol]

Patience rewarded for kidney patient

Monday, October 30, 2006

THERESA ROACH, THE SAGINAW NEWS

Saginaw, MI -- It took more than nine years for Kimberly A. Culbert to get the kidney she needed.

"I felt like if the Lord never blessed me with a kidney, he blessed me to live on dialysis for that nine years and 21 days," said Culbert, who is recovering from kidney transplant surgery in her Saginaw home.

Complications of diabetes caused the 49-year-old to lose her kidneys to end-stage kidney failure nine years ago.

Doctors immediately put Culbert on a dialysis schedule. A year later, they put her name on a waiting list for a kidney transplant and gave her a pager that alerts patients when they are eligible for a organ.

She weighed 345 pounds. Doctors told her to start losing weight so when her time came, she would meet transplant guidelines.

Culbert, who now weighs 280 pounds, said she feels blessed to have received a kidney because many people go without.

In Michigan, 358 patients received transplants from Jan. 1 to July 31, while 2,579 patients remained on the waiting list, the Richmond, Va.-based Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reports.

Culbert received her transplant in late September.

The Rev. Marvin C. Pryor, pastor of Victorious Believers Ministries, 624 S. Outer in Buena Vista, told Culbert he foresaw a kidney in her future.

"When he prayed for me, I felt something tingling in my body," Culbert said. "When he told me I'd get a kidney, I believed it."

The next day, Culbert received a page from doctors at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. They set up a time and day for her transplant.

"The doctor told me he could give me something to calm my nerves," Culbert said. "I said, 'I'm not nervous. Come on with it.' "

Culbert's fighting spirit is well known to her friends.

"When she would finish dialysis, she seemed so sick," said Sandra D. Chapman of Saginaw, Culbert's friend of 35 years.

"I'd say, 'Do you need a drive home?' And she'd always go, 'No, I can do it.' "

Culbert stayed active as she waited eight years for the pager in her purse to buzz.

She earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and technology from Saginaw Valley State University and will graduate with a degree in medical billing from Davenport University's Kochville Township campus in April.

Culbert continued to cook for funerals at Victorious Believers Ministries and for her friends and family.

"I don't know how she did it, because she was on dialysis the whole time," Chapman said. "It wipes out your strength."

Culbert says she can't take credit for the courage she had throughout the years.

"The Bible says, 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen,' " Culbert said. "That's what really kept me going -- faith." v

Theresa Roach is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach her at 776-9716.

[jbeany]

280 now?  What happened to you must be below 30 BMI?  Unless she just happens to be 6 foot 9?

I'm glad she's doing well and all, but there were several members on here who talked about being kept from doing a transplant because of their weight.  They weren't even allowed on the list.  So who's making the rules and why aren't they the same for everyone?

[okarol]

The rules vary from center to center, that's why people often try
checking out different centers instead of just sticking with the
one that is closest. I agree, it doesn't make sense.

[goofynina]

*packing her bags*  SIYONARA PEOPLES, I AM MOVING TO MICHIGAN    Hey, i come equipped with my own donor already,  we are good to go 

[Ohio Buckeye]

I wondered about that also.
280 is still quite overweight.
I have never seen a newspaper article here where the phone number
of the writer is at the end of the article.  Who would want their phone
number listed in the paper?  I should find the area code and call that number
and ask about wt. restrictions in MI for transplants.

[jbeany]

Saginaw won't help you, Buckeye.  According to the list my social worker gave me, the closest transplant center from Saginaw is Flint. - Hurley Medical Center, 1-800-842-9225.

Want the rest of the list? 

[mallory]

*packing her bags*  SIYONARA PEOPLES, I AM MOVING TO MICHIGAN    Hey, i come equipped with my own donor already,  we are good to go 

Hey, I'm finding me a donor and I'll meet you there, Goofynina!  I can't believe this, my doctor was very insistent about the 30 BMI restriction.  I thought it was kind of a universal standard, or at least consistent across the U.S., this is interesting.

[jdat]

The next day, Culbert received a page from doctors at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. They set up a time and day for her transplant.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Was it a live donor so they could adjust the transplant time to their own convenience?

They make it sound like they called her to setup an appointment for the dentist or some surgery!
"Ok we have an opening on friday 4 pm how does that work for you?" "humm can I come in on monday instead? Bit busy this weekend so I won't be available"

 

Well good for her anyhow  May the kidney have a long life

[Ohio Buckeye]

The story definitely needs some clarification.
It says she was told to lose some weight to fit the transplant
guidelines so there must have been weight restrictions. 
It's strange that 280 would be within those guidelines.
yeah, this one leaves unanswered questions for sure.