Two-time transplant recipient knows freedom from dialysis

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Two-time transplant recipient knows freedom from dialysis

By Cynthia Beaudette | Posted: Friday, May 21, 2010 10:32 am | (0) Comments

MUSCATINE, Iowa - Ron Welk knows all about following a strict regimen of kidney dialysis treatments.

And thanks to two of the greatest gifts a person can give, he knows how it feels to be free.

Welk received a kidney from his son Matthew in 2003, and this, his second transplant, continues to provide him with health and energy.

Welk, 67, a father of two, said deciding which of his children to accept a kidney from was not easy.

His children - Amanda Hawks, 32, of Denver and Matthew Welk, 34, of Omaha - were both good matches.

"Matthew lived closer," said Welk.

Welk also struggled with the possibility of the donor somehow losing the remaining kidney.

Talking with the doctors at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he and Matthew underwent the surgery, helped ease his mind, he said.

Welk learned he had the progressive, degenerative kidney disease, IgA nephropathy, in the mid 1980s.

"I passed blood in my urine once," he said. "It never happened again, but it was a sign that something was wrong."

Welk went to the doctor with his concerns and received the IgA nephropathy diagnosis. His doctors said his kidneys could be fine for many years or begin deteriorating at any time.

Welk watched his diet and protein intake and was well until 1993, when he began feeling weak and nauseous and his skin took on a yellowish tinge. He was experiencing the symptoms of kidney failure.

"Basically, your body fills up with poison," said Welk.

Dialysis was not available in Muscatine at that time so Welk's wife, Mary, took classes at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and learned to give him treatments at home.

For a year, the couple built the 5 1/2-hour treatments into their schedules three times a week.

In 1994, Ron received his first kidney transplant from a person who had died in an accident.

The transplant left Ron feeling much better.

"You don't realize how bad you felt until you don't feel bad anymore," he said.

The first transplant lasted about five years, before Ron began experiencing chronic rejection.

When he went to Mayo for his kidney transplant with Matthew, Ron said he and Mary had a memorable experience as he recuperated at the Mayo Gift of Life Transplant House.

"It's a good reality check," said Ron, who met people whose conditions were more serious than his.

"Losing your kidneys is not a death sentence," said Ron. "It's an inconvenience."

Ron, a retired financial advisor for American Express, now leads an active life and manages the Lincolnshire condominiums in Muscatine.

Living donor organs last approximately 15 years while the average cadaver transplant lasts approximately 10 years, said Ron.

"And now, due to the medications, expectations for the organs to last longer are a little better," he said. "I feel as good as I ever did."

Ron, a lifelong golfer, would attend the Iowa Transplant Open Golf Tournament in Muscatine Saturday if he and Mary didn't have a family commitment.

The Tournament raises funds for awareness about organ and tissue donation. Gary Dolphin, the voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and former Hawkeye Brandon Meyers, who now plays for the Oakland Raiders, will be special guests at the benefit.

 

Learn More

To become an organ donor in Iowa

Say yes to organ donation on your driver's license

 Register with the Iowa Donor Registry at www.IowaDonorRegistry.org or call toll-free 1-877-366-6742.

Talk to your family about your wishes.

 Learn more about IgA nephropathy at http://www.igan.ca/

Details

What: Iowa Transplant Open golf benefit

When: Golfing begins at 1 p.m. Saturday with dinner at 6 p.m.

Where: The Geneva Golf and Country Club, 3100 Bidwell Ave.

Entry fee: $125 for individuals, $500 per foursome. A ticket for the dinner only is $50.

Dinner will include an address by the Rev. Marty Goetz.

Information: Golf Course: 563-262-8894; Doug Stewart: 563-506-3389.

Posted in Local on Friday, May 21, 2010 10:32 am Updated: 10:34 am. | Tags: Ron Welk, Kidney Transplant, Matthew Welk



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