Fiance's kidney to save his damsel in dialysis

Fiance's kidney to save his damsel in dialysis

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by Lynh Bui - Jul. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Demetria Valenzuela doesn't have a diamond ring from fiancé Scott Price.

Instead, she's getting a much greater present from her beau of nearly three years: a kidney.

Price, 26, is donating one of his kidneys to Valenzuela, who needs a transplant after lupus damaged one of hers.

The couple is scheduled for surgery Friday and if all goes well, Price and Valenzuela hope to start a new chapter in their lives - one in which Valenzuela can leave her house because she won't be chained to a dialysis machine every night.

It's been a long road for Valenzuela, who has had lupus since she was 4 years old. Lupus is a disease in which antibodies that attack viruses, bacteria and other foreign material can't distinguish the harmful substances from regular cells and tissues. In Valenzuela's case, a flare-up of her lupus caused the antibodies to attack the tissue in her kidney.

Valenzuela is now 22 and has been waiting four years for a kidney transplant.

Doctors told Valenzuela to ask family members to test for a match first because they are generally the most willing living donors. But Price stepped up first, and this time, the first time was the charm.

The couple met about three years ago at a Phoenix apartment complex where they both lived. They now live near Queen Creek.

"We kind of knew right away that we wanted to be together," Valenzuela said.

But date-night activities were limited because Valenzuela had to undergo home dialysis 9 hours every day. To work around it, they spent most of their nights, and still do, watching movies rented from Blockbuster while Valenzuela was hooked up to a machine.

Price is nervous about undergoing surgery but says this is something he has to do.

"We did pretty much everything together," Price said. "It just didn't seem right to be apart."

He hopes the surgery will free Valenzuela from dialysis, so they can do things like go camping or visit family and friends overnight in Tucson.

Valenzuela's condition has also kept her out of school and work. If the transplant is successful, she hopes to get her GED, get to work and, one day, have a baby.

Friday will be the third time the couple tries the transplant. Doctors canceled the first attempt after Valenzuela got pneumonia. The couple nixed the second attempt because they felt they wouldn't be financially stable enough.

This time, they're still on shaky ground when it comes to money, Price said, but "we figured we were never going to be ready so we just have to keep the faith and see what happens."

Medical bills have already taken a toll on the couple's finances, and Price is the only person earning an income for the couple, something he won't be able to do while he spends a month or more recovering from the surgery. The couple is asking for donations to help them get by until Price is able to work again.

Despite the years of waiting, financial hardship and being careful not to get their hopes up, Price and Valenzuela have remained optimistic.

"I have never been discouraged," Valenzuela said. "I've always had God watching over me."

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You can help

While Demetria Valenzuela and Scott Price are recovering from surgery, they need help paying for groceries and gas for visits to the doctor. Here are two ways to help the couple.

• Donate to the "Tria Valenzuela Kidney Transplant Fund" at any Bank of America, Account No. 457008751616.

• Donations of gift cards for groceries and gas can be mailed to: P.O. Box 9634 Chandler Heights, AZ 85227.

Organ donation

More than 1,600 Arizonans need organ donations. To learn more about becoming an organ donor visit www.donatelifeaz.org or call 1-800-94-DONOR.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2008/07/10/20080710kidney0710.html