Desmond Thomas

In 2012, after having our son Jeremiah, Desmond went to the doctor after observing a change in his urine.He was told that he had high protein levels in his urine and would need a biopsy to determine the cause. In the fall of 2012, Kaiser performed a biopsy and found the test inconclusive. They "thought" Desmond had lupus and began him on lupus medicine. Desmond changed his insurance and got a second opinion through Sutter Medical in the spring of 2013. This biopsy proved that he had Kidney Disease, not lupus. Desmond has never smoked, never done drugs and was the occasional social drinker. At this time, he was 31. The doctors explained that he would ultimately need a kidney transplant and most likely dialysis. At the time, the doctor wanted to try some experimental drugs to preserve the kidney function that he had left. Desmond spent most of 2014 on immune suppressants and steroids only to see his kidney function continue to decline. The doctors advised that kidney transplant was inevitable and that he would need to lose weight to be a good candidate for surgery. Desmond began to work out two times a day and was able to lose 35 pounds. By doing so, he was a candidate for surgery and was placed on the kidney donor list in January 2015. The doctors said that the list would take 3-7 years for him to receive a match and it would be best to start asking family and friends to be tested. Dialysis seemed like the new reality. We prepped for dialysis. We learned about dialysis. We dreaded dialysis. Through posts on Facebook, a friend spoke up and offered to be tested. They were a match and willing to donate a kidney! This donor spent months of their time and money going to San Francisco for testing and endured multiple pokes for blood draws. Not to mention several 24 hour urine collections in a fancy jug. Desmond then encountered the same tests to be sure that he could withstand surgery. After multiple trips to San Francisco, we got the call we were waiting for. Surgery scheduled for 6/29/16!