PKD Life - Spring 2022 - 15

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAMERON KARSTEN
THE INEVITABLE ARRIVES
LARRY The three-days-a-week dialysis
began in August 1994. It felt like a real
roller coaster. For a few days after each
treatment, all I could manage was to
sit and read. By the time I gained
some energy back, it was dialysis
day again.
GINA He was on the transplant list,
but we never expected to get a kidney
anytime soon. Then in late December,
the phone rang as we sat down to dinner.
His nephrologist said, " We have a
match. " We jumped up from the table,
threw things in the car, and drove to
the hospital immediately. That was the
most amazing New Year's ever.
LARRY I woke up from surgery
astounded at how diff erent I felt.
Within a day or two, they got me up to
walk the halls. What would have
exhausted me just a few days before, I
could now do. It was quite a sensation.
GINA Two weeks after the transplant,
Larry played basketball with our
10-year-old son and then helped him
build a school project. Afterward, our
son burst into the kitchen, declaring,
" This is the best day of my life! My dad
can actually do things with me! "
Our Advice
1
Find a good
nephrologist with
whom you can
communicate.
Do your own
research and
ask questions.
2
3
Follow a kidneyfriendly
low-salt
diet, and get a
blood pressure
cuff to keep
daily records.
Keep your support
network wide. Ask
for help when you
are tired or overwhelmed.
Take time
to do the creative
things that give
you joy.
Journaling has
been an outlet for
Gina's stress and
emotions. Her
book of poems,
Terrain, was
published by Blue
Cactus Press.
A GIFT FROM A GOOD FRIEND
GINA That wonderful kidney donation
from bereaved parents kept
Larry well for 10 years before it
started showing signs of failure.
LARRY We were enjoying blackberry
pie with two of our oldest and dearest
friends when John asked how I'd
been doing. I told him my kidney was
failing again. I don't know that he
really thought it through when he
asked, " What can I do? " I needed a
new kidney, I told him, and he took it
upon himself to research what was
involved in donating. And wouldn't
you know it, he turned out to be
a match.
That kidney has lasted me almost
17 years now. I'm 73, so I've gotten far
more life than I ever expected. Every
birthday, every holiday, and every
special occasion has been quite a
privilege-one that's not lost on me.
I got to see my son grow up, graduate
from college, and become a successful
EMT/fi refi ghter. Best of all, he does
not have any signs of PKD.
GINA A couple of things have sustained
me as the primary support
person through my husband's chronic
health challenges. One has been my
classroom, which has always been a
place where I could be creative and
have some control over what was happening
in my life. The other has been
my close relationship to nature. Walking
in the woods and observing the
wildlife has been my respite. When I
see a coyote trying to pounce on a
mouse, for example, if the mouse gets
away, the coyote shrugs it off and keeps
going. There's a lesson to be learned
there. Don't let disappointment bring
you down. Just keep going.
*
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15
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PKD Life - Spring 2022

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