‘I believe it’ll happen’

[okarol]

‘I believe it’ll happen’
Modified: Wednesday, Mar 3rd, 2010
By Andrew Cummins

Four days until his return to a normal lifestyle, Ralph Pedersen’s mindset quickly sank from excited to disappointed.

The 48-year-old, awaiting a kidney transplant in Omaha, Neb., learned doctors had to call off the procedure because they discovered a problematic situation with the donor’s final test.

“We were about four days from the transplant, and some things came up in his CT scan and so we had to bring it to a halt,” Pedersen said.

Since doctors first diagnosed him with Polycystic Kidney Disease 16 years ago, however, Pedersen’s adjusted to the challenges confronting him in stride and with an infinite sense of optimism.

“Sometimes those are the cards dealt to you, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said.

The disease, which impacts about 600,000 people in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health, involves the creation of fluid-filled cysts growing inside the kidneys and ultimately causing the organs to fail.

“Right now, each one of my kidneys is the size of a football,” he said, pointing out the average organ runs the size of a human fist. “So they’re a little uncomfortable sometimes and they get a little sore.”

Pedersen and his family live in Mitchell, Neb., and he undergoes dialysis three times a week in Scottsbluff with each session lasting three hours. Pedersen’s kidneys function at such a low level he started needing the procedure to keep him alive about two years ago.

“On a dialysis day, I’m usually laying down pretty much the whole day, sitting, not doing a whole lot. Because it just takes all of the energy out of you,” he said.



For the complete article see the 03-03-2010 issue.

http://www.torringtontelegram.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=4187&page=34