Health update

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing to update you about my medical condition. My health has been relatively stable over the last 18 months. I have been able to work almost full time, but with limited energy. While biweekly blood work during this time has revealed that my vasculitis is in remission, it has also shown a steady decline in my kidney function. This has prompted my nephrologist to suggest we begin the transplant process. While dialysis will certainly help me, I have been advised that a transplant is the better medical treatment. The anti-rejection drugs that I would take will also serve to keep the vasculitis in remission. The waiting time for a deceased donor kidney is 5-7 years for a dialysis patient, so I have been encouraged to first try and find a live kidney donor, hence this letter. Though this is difficult to write, it is a necessary part of the process. It was suggested to us to share this letter with family, friends and the wider community.

Donating a kidney must be completely voluntary and you must not feel any pressure to do so. This is a very private decision that must be made with much prayer. If you will consider donating a kidney we pray that God will make this decision clear. You may even decide to go through the testing stage but then decide not to donate after all. You may explore donation confidentially or I will be happy to discuss it with you.

Kidney failure impacts every area of my life. It causes energy loss and physical and mental fatigue. I have a restricted diet, take a lot of medication throughout the day, and often do not feel well enough to socialize with family and friends and do the activities I enjoy. We have been told that a successful kidney transplant will improve and relieve many of my symptoms and eventually allow me to return to a normal way of life again.

It is possible for kidney donors to live a normal and healthy life with just one kidney. Donors are carefully medically screened to make sure that it is safe for them to donate. The transplant team makes the donor’s health and well-being a priority. Donors do not have to be a relative or an exact blood match in order to donate. If a match is not found in a reasonable time I will begin peritoneal dialysis which will require an operation to insert a tube into my abdomen.

If your prayerful decision is to begin the process of donating a kidney than you will need to contact St. Paul’s Hospital Living Donor Program:
St. Paul’s Hospital – Providence Health Care Living Kidney Donor Program 1081 Burrard Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 1V6 Phone: 604-806-9027 Toll free: 1-877-922-9822 Fax: 604-806-9658 Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

For more information please follow the links below.
BC Transplant: http://www.transplant.bc.ca/
Providence Health Care: Living Donor Program
http://renal.providencehealthcare.org/services/living-kidney-donor-program
Providence Health Care: Dialogue on Donating
http://renal.providencehealthcare.org/sites/renal.providencehealthcare.org/files/Living-Donor-Booklet.pdf
To help with the expenses of a kidney donation such as lost wages there is The Living Organ Donor Expense Reimbursement Program (LODERP). Information about this program is found at https://www.kidney.ca/britishcolumbia/loderp and eligibility will be discussed during your assessment.

Thank you for all your support so far as well as your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely, Wilfred and Helen Bulthuis