Giving the gift of life

Giving the gift of life
Mon. October 13, 2008; Posted: 07:51 PM

When a devastating disease damaged her brother's kidney, Rodriguez, 37, an ophthalmic technician in Garden City, got first in line to offer him one of her own.

"Do you have siblings?" Rodriguez, who lives in Cimarron, asked. "I'm a selfish person when it comes to a lot of things, but this is my brother. I thought about his kids, and they need him as much as I do."

But giving away her kidney wasn't as simple as wrapping it up and putting it under the Christmas tree, Rodriguez and her family learned.

She discovered that she would have to lose 45 pounds in order to go through with the procedure; instead of slowing her down, Rodriguez knew she would fight to save her brother's life.

Rodriguez, her brother, 35, and his two children gathered in Espinosa's Garden City home last week to recount the hurdles after her brother was diagnosed six years ago with IgA nephropathy, an autoimmune disorder that occurs when IgA -- a protein that helps the body fight infections -- settles in the kidneys. After several years, the IgA deposits may cause the kidneys to leak blood and sometimes protein in the urine, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

In the early stages, the disease has no symptoms and can be silent for years, even decades, according to the NKUDIC. Without the yearly physicals Espinosa undergoes because of his job as a Fed-Ex mail carrier, it might have been years before he knew what was going on inside him, he said.

After six years of treatment, kidney failure put Espinosa in an intensive care unit in Wichita in May 2007. Kidney disease usually cannot be cured, and when the kidneys are damaged, they cannot be repaired. Espinosa and his family learned he would need a new kidney.

"I didn't believe it, and after the doctor left the room my wife, Veronica, and I broke down," Espinosa said. "But we had no choice but to face this."

Espinosa said when he came home, several of his loved ones stepped up to offer him their kidneys, including members of his wife's family, his friends and his other siblings. On an organ transplant waiting list, Espinosa might have had to wait three to five years for a new kidney while undergoing dialysis treatment. Espinosa, who is O negative blood type, knew his siblings would be most compatible, and when doctors told the families that Rodriguez would be the best match, she didn't blink.

"My family and I talked about it, and they were scared at first for my health," Rodriguez said. "But I knew I had to do this for my brother."

As Espinosa started dialysis treatment in August 2007, everyone in his family had new challenges ahead of them: His wife, Veronica, who worked at Burtis Motor Co., 601 W. Kansas Ave., started a part-time evening job to generate income lost during the months Espinosa couldn't work. His kids, Tristian, 12, and Meghan, 8, helped around the house and let their father rest, who had to make a two-hour journey to Pratt and back three times a week to undergo his dialysis treatment. And his sister, Rodriguez, worked to lose the pounds she needed to undergo the surgery -- a challenge, she said, she could not have conquered without the people around her.

At the time, Rodriguez said, she was taking college classes, working and taking care of her own kids. Losing an incredible amount of weight in such a short time -- she only had four months -- put a strain on her time and energy.

She woke up each morning at 4:45 a.m. to do a 40-minute workout. She cut caffeine, sugar and meat out of her diet and lived on yogurt and salads. In the evenings, Rodriguez would swim at the Comfort Inn, 2608 E. Kansas Ave., which the business owners let her do at no charge.

Even Rodriguez's friends at her workplace, Fry Eye Surgery Center, 411 Campus Drive, started dieting along with her, in addition to her kids Britnee, 14, and Brandon, 10, and her husband, Phil.

"My family members changed their lives, to accommodate for me and my brother," she said.

The abundant support galvanized her into action. And then, of course, there was her brother.

"I would see him so tired, coming back from the dialysis, and it motivated me to work harder," Rodriguez said. "I told myself, I need to just do this. I need to just do this for him."

And she did.

In August of 2008, Espinosa got what he needed: a new kidney, thanks to his sister's dedication.

Before the transplant, Espinosa said, he'd always feel sluggish and tired and would have to be vigilant about his salt and liquid intake.

"Now, I feel completely the opposite," Espinosa said, almost two months after the transplant.

But Rodriguez, who still has 20 pounds to lose to be at an optimum health level, she said, finds that she's often tired -- her body is, after all, working on one less organ.

Out of the health tragedy, the families said, rose unparalleled support from those around them.

"It's just unreal," Espinosa said, referring to the cards, flowers and prayers that came from both communities in Garden City and Cimarron regarding his and his sister's good health.

In addition to their families and employers, both the brother and sister stressed that they couldn't have made it through the circumstances without the support of Fellowship Baptist Church, 506 N. First St., Burtis Motor Co., and the Premier Cattle Co., Syracuse, which raised money for the families' health expenses and sent them well-wishes.

Espinosa said he didn't want to forget his nurses at Davita Inc., a dialysis center at 401 N. Main St., where he began going after he completed his dialysis at Pratt.

"They took such good care of me," he said. "The nurses, they were amazing -- I had grown to enjoy their company."

Despite the circumstances, the experience was profitable for both sets of families, they said, because it brought them and their communities together.

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