On December 27, 2011 a life changing event occurred in my family. My uncle Matt was in desperate need of a new kidney. His kidneys were functioning at only 8%. A normal kidney functions at 100%. The kidney is a very important organ in the body. On this day a miracle happened. My Uncle Chris, Matt's brother, was able to donate one of his kidneys to Matt. Matt was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease in March of 2003, and his health gradually deteriorated.
Matt and Chris prepare the night before surgery. They were both very anxious to get the procedure over with. It had been a long road and it was finally all coming together.
This was a process for both of them that started far before the surgery date. Chris had to undergo many different tests to become a candidate for surgery. This started months before the surgery took place. They had to evaluate his tissue and health and have it match Matt. Chris then had to lose weight and become prepared both mentally and physically. Matt also had to undergo a long process to be able to receive the kidney. The first surgery he under went was having both kidneys removed at the same time. A normal kidney is about the size of your fist. One of Matt's kidney's weighed 6.6 pounds and the other weighed 4.6 pounds. His kidneys were also the size of a football (Assmann, Matt).
Matt's diseased kidneys that were removed during a very lengthly surgery. Polycystic disease is a disease that causes cysts on the kidneys. This then causes them to become enlarged and infected (Assmann, Matt).
Matt was then placed on dialysis. According to Michael Valenti, a surgeron in North Carolina, Dialysis is a process where blood becomes purified. Since one of the kidneys jobs is to clean the blood, dialysis does this for the patient and removes any toxins in the body (Valenti). Matt was completing dialysis three days a week. Every time he went it would take a minimum of four hours. This was a process he had to go through until he received a new kidney. In the mean time, Chris was put onto a diet and was forced to exercise on a daily basis. This was the only option he had to save his brother. This process took him about three and a half months. After this time period he was healthy enough to donate his kidney, and save his brothers life.
Matt is waiting to begin the surgery. At this time Chris is already in surgery and we were all waiting very patiently for both surgeries to be successfully completed.
During the surgeries many things took place. The first surgery that had to take place that day was the removal of Chris' kidney. This surgery took about two hours from start to finish. In the meantime, Matt was entered into the operating room. They prepared him to receive the kidney (Assmann, M.; Assmann, C.). Matt then entered the operating room where they had to work quickly to get the new kidney in. This surgery took about four hours. He was then placed in recovery for about three hours.
Chris with the transplant team at Via Christi Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. This team of doctors performed both surgeries and Matt's previous surgery.
After the Surgery was complete, Matt spent five days recovering in the hospital. For two months following the surgery, Matt was required to meet with the transplant team and perform lab work three times a week. During these sessions the team would evaluate progress and adjust medications. At this point, Matt was taking 78 pills everyday. The next two months the visits were reduced to two times a week. After the fourth month the visits reduced to one time a week. After this time, Matt was down to taking 45-50 pills everyday. After the sixth month following surgery, he was released from the transplant doctors to a transplant nephrologist. Now, he sees the nephrologist only once every three months. He has lab drawn twice a month to monitor kidney function. Today, he takes 25 pills a day to manage post transplant levels. For the rest of his life, he will be monitored to make sure the performance of the donated kidney is still functioning (Assmann, Matt).
Matt recovering in the hospital after a SUCCESSFUL surgery!
After Chris' surgery, he was put in bed rest and restricted activities. He was in the hospital for two days for recovery. When he was released from the hospital, he was still restricted to the activities that he could do. After the surgery, Chris was required to have tests one week after. He then had another check up one month later, six months after surgery, and now is required to get tests done annually. These tests are to make sure that he does not later develop kidney problems. Six Weeks after the surgery he was able to resume all normal activities. He has had no physical impacts from the transplant.
Chris recovering after a long day, and a successful surgery.
Chris told me in the interview that he was very happy to help save his brothers life. The hardest part for him was watching his brother have to suffer. It took about 3 1/2 months for Chris to lose the weight that he needed for the surgery. After the transplant, he appreciates the little things in life and is up for any challenge. He now has a checkup with the transplant team once a year (Assmann, Chris).
Matt and Chris on the road to recovery! This picture was taken the day after the surgery. The kidney transplant saved Matt's life!