A Clayton couple is hoping to find someone out there who is a match for a needed kidney 鈥� before it鈥檚 too late.
Carla Jung has been posting about the urgency of her husband, David鈥檚, need for a donor on social media recently, now that he has less than five per cent kidney function.
鈥淢y husband is a really reserved, private man鈥� this is something we wouldn鈥檛 usually do, but we鈥檙e at the point where if he doesn鈥檛 get one soon, he likely won鈥檛 be healthy enough to have (a transplant),鈥� Carla, who goes by Carla Nicholls Jung on Facebook, said Sunday (Jan. 7).
鈥淚t鈥檚 something we want to get out there now 鈥� we鈥檝e got two small children, so that makes things scary.鈥�
Their kids are now 10 and five, and she and David celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last year, albeit, not how they had planned.
They had known David鈥檚 kidney function was lower, Carla recalled, so he was referred to a kidney specialist and had some tests done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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鈥淭hey did a biopsy and the results came back and he was at about 50 per cent (kidney function) but because of COVID it ended up on a desk and was missed,鈥� she said.
By May of 2022, her husband was planning to attend a big conference in Paris with his work, a pharmaceutical company, where he would be speaking.
鈥淗e was so excited! We went and bought him a new suit鈥� I said, 鈥業f you鈥檙e missing our 10-year wedding anniversary, you鈥檙e doing your bloodwork before you go,鈥欌�� Carla remembered, noting that he had been quite tired, but 鈥渉e鈥檚 also one of those people who works really, really hard.鈥�
Within 12 hours of getting David鈥檚 bloodwork done, their family doctor called and told David he needed to go to emergency immediately.
鈥淲e found out on our 10th wedding anniversary that his kidney function was, I think, at 11 per cent then, and he was told that he would need a kidney transplant and he would need to start dialysis or he would die,鈥� she said.
Because his health declined so much and so quickly, he had to start emergency dialysis right away.
Now, her husband must do dialysis at night 鈥� all night.
鈥淗e has a machine that cleans his blood every night. He hooks up at 8:30 and he runs all night, so when the kids get sick at night there鈥檚 no one else that can help but me鈥� if he鈥檚 hungry or needs anything, or there鈥檚 an emergency, he can鈥檛 just simply unhook 鈥� he has to stay hooked up,鈥� Carla said.
鈥淣ow because it鈥檚 gotten worse, he has to do dialysis during the day while he鈥檚 at work. He鈥檚 so tired when he comes home鈥� we鈥檙e at the point where I鈥檓 thinking are we going to have to sell our house? Are we going to have to make some huge changes?鈥�
Carla emphasized that if David鈥檚 kidney function gets even lower, 鈥渉e won鈥檛 be healthy enough to have a transplant, and that means that it鈥檒l be terminal, and that will be it.鈥�
They are hoping a donor will come forward 鈥� a Type O donor is ideal, but there鈥檚 also a pairing program where other blood types can donate a kidney, Carla noted.
鈥淭hey鈥檇 basically just swap it with one that works for him, and it bumps him up the list鈥� they kind of do a swap.鈥�
If someone is interested in finding out if they鈥檙e a match to donate a kidney, they can email kidneydonornurse@vch.ca and providing David鈥檚 transplant ID #24894.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a selfless gift to give somebody else,鈥� Carla said, adding that she knows people can often, wait years for a donor, but 鈥淒avid doesn鈥檛 have that time to wait.鈥�
鈥淚t would really mean the world to my kids鈥� I lost my Dad waiting for a transplant, and anything that we can do to avoid my kids experiencing the same would mean a lot to them and my family and to Dave.鈥�
