Drew’s health journey started 26 years ago when he was 23 years old and we were just engaged. He was diagnosed with ITP Immune thrombocytopenia Purpura which is a blood disorder where his platelets decrease and cannot stop bleeding and he also was diagnosed with IGA Nephropathy which is a kidney disease. He has a Long story and journey and he has been on meds, many hospital visits, and had many doctors he sees regularly. Most people never know the struggle as Drew just accepts it all and moves forward and rarely complains.
Our primary focus has always been on the blood as that has been the major battle over the years until November 2019 when everything changed.
We received a call from a UCI doctor at 6 pm as we were about to eat dinner on a restricted number when I told Drew to answer the call. That call changed our lives and saved his. The doctor said you need to go to the hospital immediately. We were in shock and actually called for a second opinion and they too said check into the emergency room immediately. So we did. The kidney journey begins.
Drew was admitted and was told his kidneys have failed and he will need to start dialysis immediately the next day. So the journey began which has not been easy. In 2019-2020 Drew had 11 surgeries to get a working fistula which is how dialysis is preformed. His surgeon calls him his worst nightmare! I tell him he can feel my pain. Lol.
When you go into failure you either will be on dialysis for life or if Lucky get a second chance on life with a transplant if eligible. The donor list wait time is 5-10 years in Ca. A side note dialysis is a 3 x a week process and for Drew MWF 5 am to arrive at clinic and then arrive home by 10:30. You have to go or will die and are exhausted. You also have liquid restrictions meaning 30oz to 50oz a day. He was on the high side of liquid as can go to 8 oz. Imagine this is water, ice, watermelon, soup, yogurt or anything liquid. If you travel you have to make arrangements and never know a time so plans Out of town are a challenge. As mentioned it’s a whole new life.
We learned from a support center from Saddleback Church that Mayo Clinic in Az was the best of the best for transplants and has a faster wait time 3-5 years on a average. So we started the process to get eligible at Mayo and be on the transplant list in Nov 2020. This took a few extra trips to Az and finally in Feb we received the great news he qualified and made this list. We were overjoyed to know there was HOPE! We now just needed to be prepared for a call expecting a few years and also start looking for a live donor to shorten process and is overall better for the patient.
A miracle happened!!! Drew received a call last week that a end of chain live donor was available. What,wait... say that again! Yes, a live donor! His surgery is scheduled on Wednesday April 21,2021! We are in shock, disbelief and excited yet very nervous about this journey.
To recap Drew was placed on the transplant list in Feb 2021 and now April 2021 in 2 months he will have a transplant. Miracles do happen and the doctors are in disbelief of this chain of events. They say he must have angles watching!
We will be in Az for a minimum of 4 weeks as he recovers. They say average is 6 to 8 weeks. So we are very lucky Drew has family in Az which will be very helpful for additional support.
I will use this site to share his progress and appreciate the support and prayers.
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