Disabled man praying for kidney transplant

Disabled man praying for kidney transplant
William Wright
Banner Staff Writer
Sunday, Aug 02, 2009
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His lifelong dream was to become a police officer and serve his community. Now Nicholas Headrick only wants to lead a normal life again.

The Bradley Central High School graduate who attended both Cleveland State Community College and Chattanooga State was well on his way to fulfilling his dream in 2001 by becoming a Cleveland Police Reserve Officer.

In the spring of 2003, however, Nick's respiratory system suddenly started to shut down. He had to be air lifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville with a very rare disease called Wegener's Granulomatosis, a type of inflammation of the blood vessels which limits the flow of blood to important organs, causing damage and even death.

The disease can affect any organ, but it mainly affects the sinuses, nose, trachea, lungs and kidneys. The cause of Wegener's Granulomatosis is unknown. Although it is uncommon in children, it can affect people of any age.

Physicians at Vanderbilt started a blood cleansing procedure for eight days, four hours a day, called plasma forisis. They pulled all of Nick's blood out of his body, took out his plasma and replaced it with fresh plasma.

Nick was later released from the hospital and his strange case was assigned to Dr. Julia Lewis at Vanderbilt. He was placed on special medications which treats the disease but also had adverse side effects.

In the spring of 2004, the disease attacked again. This time Nick's kidneys were the target of the limited blood flow. He was rushed back to Vanderbilt for eight more days of blood cleansing but damage to his kidneys was already apparent.

During the entire episode, Nick continued to fulfill his dream of being an officer and in May of 2005, he was officially on the payroll at the Cleveland City Police Department.

"Three days after being on the Police Department this terrible disease struck Nick's kidneys again, leaving only about 15 percent function to his kidneys," said Bill Headrick, Nick's father.

The following year, this rare disease struck Nick's kidneys again and within six months, he lost full function of both his kidneys and was on dialysis six to seven days a week. He now lives with his father and stepmother Sandra who help him with his dialysis.

In addition to this, the medication prednisone, which causes weight gain, also contributed to Nick being diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a disease resulting from the loss of blood supply to areas of the bone. This resulted in both his hips having to be replaced.

Although weight gain during prednisone therapy is common, the family is confident that Nick can get back on the road to a full recovery starting with a kidney donor.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a successful transplant depends on finding the organ that minimizes the chances a body will reject it and following a treatment regimen that will allow the body to accept a new organ. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal, most commonly from kidney failure.

Several relatives including his father, brother, great-aunt and others are not a match for Nick, mostly because of their own health problems, according to Bill. For nearly four years Nick has remained on the national donors list.

He and his family are hoping someone will consider the risks, pray over the matter, discuss it with their loved ones, and make an informed decision to share the gift of life.

"We realize this is no small task but both of Nick's kidneys being gone makes me realize how charitable it is to give an organ," said Bill. "It's one of the most precious gifts in my eyes that a person can do. Just the thought of someone offering such a gift makes me feel humble."

Nick said it would mean a lot for someone to be able to get tested and be able to follow through with an organ donation if it is God's will.

"The Lord has blessed me this far and I'm putting myself in His hands. I'm going with His will," Nick said. "He'll bless me in His time. Other than that, I'll continue doing what I'm doing."

Nick and his father stressed the magnitude of being an organ donor and discussing it with one's family before building anticipation and having one's hopes shattered.

After several close calls with volunteer donors, Nick said, "I'll believe it when I see it. We know there's nothing more precious than giving the gift of life. I could get back to being normal, healthy and focus on the rest of my life."

Bill said for someone to be able to give an organ to help his son would mean more than words could ever express.

"His quality of life would increase 100 percent if he was donated a kidney. It would be a huge blessing," Bill said. "The entire procedure, including travel and hospital stay would be reimbursed by Medicare."

For further information, contact Nick Headrick's Transplant Case Manager, Verna Johnson, at Vanderbilt Hospital at 615-936-0695.

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