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Out with the Old, Transplanting in the New in 2017

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and a pleasant start to 2017.  My husband and I had a nice, relaxing holiday season with the children and several friends here in the Houston area.

I am excited about 2017 because I want this to be a big year. It is already a big one because I turn 50 this year!

However, there are other big plans for 2017 as well.

I plan to finish my first novel.  I want to get my daughter back into dance classes and to continue to encourage my son to strive for good grades and track excellence. My husband will continue to grow his business, and we are planning to vacation in Hawaii in May.  And the biggest one – I hope to have a kidney transplant this year.

We appreciate everyone’s well-wishes and for those people who are calling in to be tested, we thank you!

While it is a big decision to donate a kidney, living donors can save lives. If you think it might be something that you are interested in, you can best help us by calling us at 770-310-2426 for info to do a 15-minute phone screening on being a living donor. You can also call the St. Luke’s Transplant Department directly to do the screening at 832-355-4100.  Just tell them your planned recipient is Dominique (Nikki) Brooks.  They will ask for my birth year, which is 1967.

Be Inspired — Give Life!

Dominique (Nikki) Brooks

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Dialysis: The Struggle is Real

Dialysis.

It sounds simple enough given the importance it has in the lives of patients with kidney failure. But now that I have started dialysis, I see how it becomes an outsized part of your life. I have to connect to it every night and going to the bathroom at night has just become a lot more complicated. Dialysis makes it difficult to sleep because of the noise, and I hope my kids don’t need anything during the night when my husband is out of town.

The struggle is real.

I have Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) which is an inherited disorder. In PKD, clusters of cysts develop primarily within your kidneys. The cysts vary in size and, as they accumulate more fluid, they can grow very large and cause kidney failure.

For people with kidney failure, there are two types of dialysis – peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis.

Peritoneal dialysis  (shown at the right) cleans the blood as well but that’s done inside the body. A surgeon has to place a catheter into the abdomen for access. During this type of dialysis, a special type of fluid (dialysate) is placed in the abdomen through the catheter. While the fluid is in the abdomen, extra fluid, chemicals, and wastes are drawn out of the blood vessels into the dialysate fluid in the abdomen. The abdominal fluid is then removed and thrown away. This process is done several times a day or night and can be done by the patient at home.

Hemodialysis (shown at left) uses an artificial kidney – in the form of a machine – to clean the blood removing wastes, extra chemicals, and fluids. This method requires the placement of an access into the blood vessels – typically on the arm or leg. Hemodialysis typically lasts 4 hours each time and happens 3-4 times a week.

I am currently doing peritoneal dialysis. With my medical background, understanding the process was not difficult. But the actual performance of the procedure every day is harder than I anticipated. There are risks of infections and I am still tired on a daily basis. However, your comments and well-wishes give me strength!

Now that I have started dialysis, we are looking for a living kidney donor harder than ever. While it is a big decision to donate a kidney, living donors can save lives. If you think it might be something that you are interested in, you can best help us by calling us at 770-310-2426 for info to do a 15-minute phone screening on being a living donor. You can also call the St. Luke’s Transplant Department directly to do the screening at 832-355-4100.  Just tell them your planned recipient is Dominique (Nikki) Brooks.

Be Inspired — Give Life!

Dominique (Nikki) Brooks

 

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Organ Donation: There’s an App for That!

There are over 120,000 people in the United States currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

Each organ donor can save up to eight lives, plus they can help any number of other people through tissue donation.  Previously, people could register to donate through the DMV on their driver’s license or register through a state registry which could be done online.  While millions of people have already signed up, Apple and Donate Life America have teamed up to make signing up for organ donation even easier.

Now, iPhone users can sign up as organ donors directly from their phones – using the Health app with the release of iOS 10. The sign up process is simple and all sign ups submitted through the iPhone are sent directly to the National Donate Life Registry which is operated by Donate Life America. One benefit of this is that the decision to donate can be carried with the potential donor – on their phone – wherever they go. iOS 10 will be available for all users this fall as a free software update.

As we are currently looking for a living kidney donor, this is welcome news.  We appreciate any efforts to increase the number of donors. For those of you that have an iPhone, check it out!

While it is a big decision to donate a kidney, living donors can save lives. If you think it might be something that you are interested in, you can best help us by calling us at 770-310-2426 for info to do a 15-minute phone screening on being a living donor. You can also call the St. Luke’s Transplant Department directly to do the screening at 832-355-4100.  Just tell them your planned recipient is Dominique (Nikki) Brooks.  They will ask for my birth year, which is 1967.

Be Inspired — Give Life!

Dominique (Nikki) Brooks

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The Big Ask / The Big Give

My family has a heredity history of Polycystic Kidney Disease but I thought that taking care of myself might lower my risk. Unfortunately, that did not prevent my kidneys from failing. Thus, I am need of a living kidney donor. I appreciate those of you who read my posts and send me good wishes. They really do help!

Looking for a kidney donor is a challenging task. In general, it’s hard for the person in need of a kidney to discuss their situation. Therefore, to be successful, that person often needs a point person – a champion if you will – to help spread the message. My husband is that person for me. This search is challenging and has required a lot of education on our part.

There are numerous organizations that can provide tools to conduct this vital search. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) calls the search “The Big Ask/The Big Give” and has valuable information for both the champion and the person considering a donation. The NKF also sponsors fundraising events – like kidney walks – to fund the fight against kidney disease.

Another organization, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has taken that education for this champion a bit further. The program has initiated a Live Donor Champion Program which provides the designated champion with resources and education to make him or her more effective during the search for donors. Through meetings and other resources, this program aims to teach the champion how to use personal connections and social networks to increase awareness about the need for kidney donors as well as how to identify potential donors.

While we don’t live near Johns Hopkins, we hope to utilize some of their tools in our search for a donor. Hopefully, our luck will change!

While it is a big decision to donate a kidney, living donors can save lives. If you think it might be something that you are interested in, you can best help us by calling us at 770-310-2426 for info to do a 15-minute phone screening on being a living donor. You can also call the St. Luke’s Transplant Department directly to do the screening at 832-355-4100.  Just tell them your planned recipient is Dominique (Nikki) Brooks.

Be Inspired — Give Life!

Dominique (Nikki) Brooks

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Kidney Donors Save Lives

During this journey, I have come in contact with a number of wonderful people!  Many have contacted me and the hospital to learn more about becoming a kidney donor.  But a lot of folks are really unfamiliar with the logistics of donating a kidney. So while I am looking for a donor, I hope to continue to provide some knowledge and educate everyone on the process.

There are three types of living kidney donations: direct donation, paired exchange, and a Good Samaritan donation.

Direct Donation: The donor knows the recipient and the kidney goes directly to them.

Paired Exchange: The donor gives a kidney to one person in exchange for a kidney for their friend or loved one. Typically, this occurs when the donor does not match (e.g. blood type, etc.) their loved one.

Good Samaritan Donation: Here, the donor gives a kidney to a stranger who has a donor that does not match. This initiates a chain of donations and can allow for better matching by the doctors.

Each of these situations show that living donors save lives. You can help by calling us at 770-310-2426 for info to do a 15-minute phone screening on being a living kidney donor.

A living donor candidate is a person who is healthy, well-informed and makes a voluntary decision to donate one of their kidneys. Living donors must be over 18 and in good general health, have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 30, a non-smoker, with no evidence of significant high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, heart disease or hepatitis.

Thanks for helping us find a living kidney donor.  Please spread the word and/or call us at 770-310-2426 for info to do a 15-minute phone screening.

Be Inspired — Give Life!

Nikki

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