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When Cedarburg resident Natasha Irish donated her kidney to a stranger, she said it was changing.
“My life has changed and blessed me in ways I never imagined,” she said.
The Irish first registered national kidney registry to donate a kidney to a Cedarburg woman. She wasn't a perfect match, so the Irish used a registry to put the Cedarburg woman at the top of the kidney candidate list. But Irish turned out to be a perfect fit for the Eau Claire woman. Both women received transplants in April 2023.
“I gave them the gift of life,” Eilish said. “I'm now part of a group of people I never knew before.”
Now, the Irishman will be part of a unique group climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak at 19,341ft.
This trek has ended kidney donor athletea nonprofit organization that raises awareness about the importance of kidney donation. Fourteen kidney donors, including an Irishman, and one transplant surgeon participated in the Kilimanjaro climb. It is scheduled to start on March 8th and end on March 14th. World Kidney Day.
“This is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life,” Eilish said. “This is an opportunity to show the world that ordinary people can become kidney donors and go on to live active, healthy lives.”
Irish people hope the climb will raise awareness of being a donor and dispel misconceptions about the process.
Emily Poletto Monterosso, KDA Group Leader and Director, emphasized that opinion.
“Our team believes that fear of negative health effects should not be an obstacle for anyone considering giving this life-saving gift,” said Poletto Monterosso in a news release. mentioned in.
Inspired by a Facebook post
Eilish's kidney donation journey began in May 2022 when she read a Facebook post that tugged at her heartstrings. It was a husband's plea to donate a kidney for his wife.
Eilish had never met Kelly Welsh Gripenrog or her husband, Nick Gripenrog, nor were they friends on Facebook. But they were mutual friends and lived in Cedarburg, Irish explained, and it was a genuine plea.
As Eilish read Wales Gripenrog's story, she thought to herself, “Sure, I can do it too.'' She completed the UW Health Transplant Center's online survey to begin the process.
“She had a beautiful family and so much of her life resonated with me,” Eilish said. “She wanted to be there for her children.”
The Irishman has two children aged 12 and 10, while Gripenrog, a Welshman, has three children aged 22, 17 and 15.
Welsh gripentrog polycystic kidney disease She had been suffering from a genetic disease that led to kidney failure since she was 21 years old. But I had to wait until I had a transplant.
According to the donor team at Wiswick Health Transplant Center, a person's kidney function needs to be at a certain level, said Jessica Geraci-Perez, media strategist at Wiswick Health Transplant Center. Once it falls below the 20% mark, the person will be placed on the donor list. When Wales-Gripenrog's kidney function reached that level, she had family members undergo tests to see if they were compatible, Wales-Gripenrog said.
Although Eilish's kidney was not a match for Wales Gripenrog's kidney, Irish's donation put Welsh Gripenrog at the top of the kidney donor waiting list, and eventually a stranger… I will receive a kidney from another donor.
“She changed my life,” Gripenrog, who is Welsh, said of the Irishman. “None of this was possible. I have more energy, I can be there for my kids, I can take vacations. Before, I didn't want to make plans[for my health]. did.”
The Irishman also changed his second life.
After going through the necessary tests to find a perfect match through UW Health, Eilish's kidney was taken to Shireen Lenahan, a 49-year-old woman who lives in Eau Claire.
It was Lenahan's second kidney. Her first kidney transplant was in 1998. She needed another kidney transplant because it had reached the end of its lifespan.
Eilish said both Lenahan and Wales Gripentorog were doing well after the transplant, and their new kidneys started working quickly. And now, Eilish considers both Lenahan and Welshman Gripenrog her “kidney family” because she has chosen to meet them and share her identity.
Gripenlog from Wales is grateful.
“This (kidney donation) wasn't even on (Irish's) radar,” Wales-Gripentorog said. “She has found a whole new meaning to life. She knows that she has changed the meaning of life.”
Living kidney donors needed to save lives
Living kidney donation increases options for creating a better match and increases the longevity of the transplant, said April Schultz, clinical transplant coordinator for the Living Kidney Donation Program at the University of Wisconsin Health Transplant Center. He said living donor kidneys can function for 12 to 20 years, while deceased donor kidneys can improve quality of life for 8 to 12 years.
resources like national kidney registryallowing for better matching and a “larger donor pool,” reducing the risk of rejection for recipients in need of a kidney, Schultz said.
From 2014 to 2019, the number of living donor kidney transplants in the United States increased by 24%, and the number of living liver transplants increased by 87.1%. Data from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network.
But we still need more donors. According to the National Kidney Foundationthe average waiting time can be 3 to 5 years.
There are more than 90,000 Americans on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, more than 37 million Americans live with kidney disease, and approximately 807,000 Americans live with kidney failure. Masu. According to the American Kidney Foundation.
Eilish answers the common question, “What happens if my remaining kidney fails?”
Eilish said the question many people ask about her donation is: “What if my kidneys stop working? you Do you need a kidney? ”
Eilish said she's not worried about this and that even if it were to happen, it would be rare.
“While complications are rare and it is unlikely that a previous donor will need their own kidney transplant in the future, the United Network for Organ Sharing has set a policy,” Schulz said. said.
She said people who donate directly to someone they know will be given priority on the deceased donor waiting list if they need a kidney transplant of their own.
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Eilish admitted there were many “unknowns” as she prepared to donate her kidney, especially since it was her first surgery.
What helped her was having a mentor in Elizabeth Kaye, co-host of the Milwaukee morning show 99.1 The Mix (WMYX-FM).
Kay donated her kidney, which changed both of their lives. She donated her kidney to her mother-in-law, Camille Hame, with whom she was not directly married. Once her mother-in-law got the voucher, she rose to the top of the list, and Kay's kidney ended up in the hands of someone in Kentucky.
“(Kay) celebrated the win with me. She was a really strong advocate and we had a heart-to-heart,” Eilish said.
Schultz said Wisconsin Health Transplant Center assigns living donors a registered nurse coordinator who will accompany them through the process from start to finish and through two years of follow-up. Schultz also said there are many financial protections and other benefits through the NKR program. donor shield He said the surgery and medical expenses would be covered by the recipient's insurance.
Eilish said she has since connected with other donors through Facebook groups and said she expects to meet even more donors through the One Kidney Climb event. She loves being a donor considering all the connections she has made and the lives she has changed and ultimately saved.
“I believe God gave me two kidneys when I only needed one for this very purpose,” Eilish said.
To donate to the One Kidney Climb fundraising page in Ireland
To donate to Ireland's One Kidney Climb fundraising page, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/OneKidneyClimbNatasha. All proceeds benefit KDA's advocacy and work.
As of February 13, Eilish has raised $4,845 of her $7,500 goal.
Learn more about kidney and organ donation
Learn more about kidney and organ donation. www.kidney.org, donatelifewisconsin.orgNational Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin; www.kidneywi.organd UW Health Transplant Center, www.uwhealth.org/living-donor.
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @kozlowicz_cathy
more:A Wisconsin man was in desperate need of a kidney. His donor wasn't just a friend, he was his longtime doctor.
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