Hello Stanton Family.
I am not able to make
it again to the reunion and Jeanine has offered to relay this information to
you for me. (Thanks Jeanine!)
As many of you already know, I have renal disease stage 5.
Basically that means my kidneys have completely failed and right now I am using
dialysis to keep as healthy as I can be right now. I was diagnosed
approximately 3 years ago and have survived many hospitalizations and at times
fighting for my life to end up here. I am reaching out to my family for help.
Besides, I believe a family is the strongest form of help anyone can reach out
to and Lord knows there are many of us in the Stanton family.
I will begin the kidney transplant evaluation process
through Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on June 17th. I am
reaching out to anyone who may have ever considered donating an organ. My best
shot at a match is family. Here is some information that I want you to know:
·
Big Myth: I will die without a kidney. I will
not die if I don’t get a kidney, but it will improve my life dramatically. I
can live on dialysis for years, but being hooked up to machine that cleans my
blood 3 days a week for 4 hours a day is cumbersome.
·
By no means do I want anyone to feel like they
HAVE to get tested or obligated (for lack of a better word) to get tested or
donate. In fact, I will not know who tried or not, unless someone turns out to
be a good match for me.
·
All of the testing and evaluation process is
paid for by my insurance and Northwesters transplant program. The only things
that are not paid for is if during the evaluation, something comes to light in
your physical that is not part of the transplant evaluation and your physician
want more tests.
·
Northwestern has told me that most if not all
tests can be done locally and results sent to Northwestern.
·
The surgery itself for the donor is actually a
pretty simple procedure. It is amazing when you think about it. It is done by
laparoscope and you are only in the hospital for 1-2 days generally. The
surgery would have to be done up here in Chicago, but most follow-up care can
be done locally. I believe that if you donate you may need to come up here for
a couple check-ups in the year following the donation.
The following information is for you in case you would like
to learn more and or want to be considered for donation. You can go to
Northwestern Memorial’s website and check out various things. To get to the
donor applications follow this link:
www.transplant.nmh.org
In the middle of the page (in blue) click on kidney transplantation. Left side of
page on top of list, click Required Forms. In the middle of the page click on Living Donor Kidney Questionnaires.
That will get you started. If you have any questions, call Northwestern
(312-695-0828). It is overwhelming at first, but Northwestern will help you any
way they can. If you have any questions or just want to talk to me please do
so. I can be reached the following ways:
Phone:
219-508-8600 (call or text is fine)
Address:
3765 Maxwell St; Hobart, In 46342
I don’t know
what else to say but THANK YOU! Thank you for at least reading or hearing this
information and thank you for being a great family that has given me wonderful
memories. There is no time frame this needs to be done in and please feel free
to pass this along to anyone who may want to consider organ donation.
I truly feel
blessed and understand that this is another journey that I must walk.
Love and
hugs to all.
Cynthia
Stanton-McKnight
