Help Support Roddy Naranjo

According to a recent study, kidney donors live just as long as people who still have two kidneys. Unfortunately, in another kind of creepy study, heart donors didn’t show the same positive results…

In 2014, I received the life changing diagnosis of late stage kidney disease. In doing so, I joined a list of over 100,000 people who are waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant.

They say that the hardest step for people suffering from kidney disease is reaching out to find a living donor. I can sympathize. For two years, I’ve avoided this, knowing the sacrifice that it entails, and not wishing to burden others with my troubles. But my kidneys are now functioning at only 5% of normal. I am in kidney failure; my time is running short. And so I ask that you spare a moment to read my story in hopes that you will consider being tested to save my life, or someone else in a similar situation. I believe that my best years lie ahead of me. I just need to find the amazing person willing to give the gift of hope, love and life!

My name is Angel R Naranjo but everyone calls me “Roddy”. I have lived in Lake Mary, Florida for 15 years (25 in Florida overall) after moving from Rockville/Bethesda, Maryland. I’ve led a truly blessed life surrounded by loving family and amazing friends. I’ve spent most of my career working in the Information Technology industry and managing software testing teams, often traveling around the country (and some abroad) for different assignments. I was always on the go, never a minute wasted. My favorite activities were playing soccer in the Central Florida Soccer League where I developed a lot of long lasting friendships, golfing whenever I could in a local golf league, and supporting my favorite not so local Washington DC sport teams. I also enjoyed spending time with my family in Maryland and Tampa. I worked hard and I always enjoyed my leisure time.

I did not notice any initial symptoms of this disease, but fortunately I scheduled regular check-ups and my doctor said he had noticed some discrepancies with BUN, creatine, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) numbers over a period of time. He referred me to a kidney specialist who confirmed that I had kidney disease and we initially began with a cocktail of medications that I took twice daily. For two years this worked well and I maintained my normal activity levels, but eventually things began to change. I started getting persistent headaches, nausea, vomiting, and general malaise. When I’d participate in sports activities, it would feel like I was suffocating.

My initial reaction to my diagnosis was shock, and even a bit of denial. This couldn’t be happening to me. I had to make a lot of lifestyle changes, including modifying my diet to eliminate dairy products and begin eating foods low in potassium and phosphorus. My energy levels began to effect all of my activities, travel became harder, sports/exercise became more exhausting, and within a couple of years of first getting diagnosed, I had to begin dialysis. Three days a week I receive treatments, each lasting four hours. The hours before are spent preparing and afterward, I barely have the energy to stay awake.

End-stage kidney disease patients have only three treatment options: dialysis, a kidney transplant from a deceased donor, or a kidney transplant from a living donor. Dialysis is life support, not a cure. There is no cure. But there is hope! Receiving a transplant now would give me the chance to live a longer and healthier life. It would also allow me more time to spend with family and friends, who I sorely miss.

Receiving a kidney from a deceased donor remains an option, but it is a long shot, especially for people like myself who are in kidney failure. It often takes five years or more to get to the top of the list. By then, my health may be so deteriorated that my life expectancy will not be long. Also, kidneys from a living donor last twice as long as those from a deceased donor. A kidney from a living donor typically starts working immediately versus days or weeks and are less likely to be rejected. Over 5,000 people die each year waiting for a kidney donation because the dialysis was not enough to prevent health complications, but with a living donor, my life expectancy is much improved and my quality of life can allow me to carry on with many of my favorite activities.

Many friends and family have offered to be tested, but they either didn’t have the correct blood type or were ruled out for other health reasons. Basic requirements for being my living donor are having an O blood type, in good general health, being between the ages of 18-70, and being well informed about the process.

Being in this position is a sincerely humbling experience. We all know that we aren’t promised tomorrow, but we often live like we have forever, never stopping to consider how fragile our health is, and how quickly things can change.

I want everyone to know about this “silent disease,” which kills over 90,000 Americans every year, more than breast and prostate cancer combined. Thirty million Americans have kidney disease, but 90% don’t know it. Its early symptoms are often non-existent and can only be diagnosed through proactive testing. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, it is important to check with your doctor regularly as these are leading causes.

I thank you for reading this message. I have included some facts about the living donor process below, but I would be happy to personally tell you more about my story and explore the possibility of determining if you are a match for me. I know living donation may not be right for everyone, but you can still help! Please consider being an organ donor and leaving behind the gift of life. About 120,000 people are waiting for an organ donation and 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives and can benefit up to 25 people. Every day 20 people die waiting for a transplant. You can find all the information you need to register at: https://organdonor.gov/index.html

Finally, you can help me by sharing my story with everyone you know. It only takes a moment to Share, but it can Save my life. My Facebook Community page where I’ll post updates is: https://www.facebook.com/RoddyNeedsAKidney/

My appreciation is beyond words.

Sincerely,
Roddy

You might not know a lot about the living donor process; I didn’t know before kidney disease affected my life. It is totally understandable that some people are afraid of having surgery and the impacts of living with one kidney, but there is a lot of great information available to help minimize those fears and provide education about the entire process. Here are some basic facts about kidney donation:

· Kidney transplants have the highest success rate of all transplant procedures.
· Only one kidney is needed to live a long, healthy life
· Living donation does not change a person’s life expectancy or increase the risk of kidney failure
· Most donor surgery is performed laparoscopically and typically has a fairly quick recuperation period of about 2 weeks, 4-6 weeks for heavy lifting and normal activity
· Your kidney will actually grow in size to compensate for the loss of the donated kidney (that’s pretty incredible)
· The cost of evaluation and surgery is covered by my insurance.
· Getting tested to become a living donor does not mean you are committing to surgery. It’s a personal decision that can be changed at any time.
· The surgery will be performed at a hospital with some of the best surgeons in the world
· You will have a separate team of healthcare professionals serving as your advocate. They will help you understand the risks and benefits, and most importantly, look out for YOUR best interests.
· Being a living donor has an incredible psychological benefit. You are not only saving the life of the person you’re providing the kidney for, you are also decreasing the wait time for another kidney disease patient waiting for a deceased donor.

For additional information on the donation process, I recommend visiting The National Kidney Foundation site at https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors or call the NKF Cares confidential helpline at 1-855-653-2273.

Additionally, my transplant process is being managed by the Tampa General Transplant Center (one of the best in the country for kidney transplants) and you can read more about their information at https://www.tgh.org/services/transplant/kidney-transplant/living-kidney-donor-program or you can call (813) 844-5669, or 1-800-505-7769. Press 5 for the kidney transplant program, then 3 for the living kidney donor program for a confidential phone consultation.

Thank you for taking the time. We are all family in soccer, so let’s do everything we can to help spread the word and hopefully find a match for Roddy.