In addition, the number of people waiting for a kidney is just a fraction of the number of people on dialysis, which is more than 500,000 people!” “Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of organ donors, less than 17,000 kidney transplants occur each year. on the waiting list to receive a kidney transplant from someone who has passed away,” Zampaloni said. “Currently, there are over 100,000 people in the U.S. He recently reached out to the OBSERVER with the hope that one of this newspaper’s readers may be a match for his girlfriend or one of the many, many others on the transplant list. Surprised by the couple’s conversation with their waitress, Zampaloni realized that many may be unaware of what an important option a living donor is for someone in kidney failure. She just wants to be able to spend more time with her boys and focus on them again.” The boys get home from school around 2:45 or 3, and by the time she gets home from dialysis, they’re usually in bed. It’s nothing for her to put in 42 hours at work and then another 12 or so hours of dialysis in any given week. “She just got promoted to assistant manager. “Christina works full time at Family Dollar in Dunkirk,” Zampaloni explained. She is particularly worried about making the thrice weekly drive to Hamburg once snowy weather sets in. Every time you begin a session, it’s like a shock to your system - it’s really hard on your heart - and it’s just exhausting.” Kawski, who drives herself to dialysis during the week, often has to stop and find a place to rest on her way home. “Dialysis keeps you alive, but it’s really hard on your body. “I’m hoping that I’m not going to have to be on dialysis for a long time, but if you don’t get a transplant, you’re on it for as long as you’re alive,” Kawski said. Kawski would once again be able to spend her afternoons and evenings with her sons, which would be the biggest gift of all, he said. Besides eliminating the need for dialysis, a kidney from a living donor typically lasts five to 10 years longer than a kidney from a non-living donor. The waitress had no idea that a living donor was an option that would give Christina the best possible outcome.”Īccording to Zampaloni, after five years of dialysis, patients have a fatality rate of 72 to 82 percent. “We told her about Christina’s dialysis and how we are hoping for a living kidney donor. “A few weeks ago, we went to Ruby Tuesday after dialysis, and the waitress noticed Christina’s bandages,” Zampaloni explained. The couple has actually turned the Saturday dialysis into a date night of sorts, as they enjoy dinner together after her treatment. Kawski travels for dialysis to Hamburg on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to approximately 7:30 p.m., and on Saturdays, Zampaloni takes her for a third day of dialysis. It’s been hard coming to the reality that if I don’t do this, I’m not going to make it.” “You always think that dialysis is months or even years down the road. “It’s just been very stressful and traumatic,” Kawski told the OBSERVER during a phone interview while she was receiving dialysis. Zampaloni explained that 20 percent kidney function qualifies someone for the transplant list, and 15 percent kidney function qualifies him or her for dialysis. “We’re back up to 10 percent kidney function now.” Then she had to have two surgeries to prepare for dialysis,” Zampaloni explained. “She was really looking forward to what was next for her after graduation. In March, Kawski’s kidneys were functioning at 24 percent, and shortly after Kawski graduated from JCC in May with her business administration degree, she found out her kidneys were functioning at a mere 9 percent. “And I hope I can see them grow up, graduate and live healthy lives.” “Hopefully, by the time my sons are older, there will be a cure,” said Kawski. Kawski’s sons have a 50 percent chance of inheriting it, but she is hopeful because a new drug that slows the growth of cysts has just been approved. She inherited the disease from her father who passed away from renal kidney failure in his early 40s and has multiple family members who also have the disease. Kawski was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in her 20s, a progressive disease in which tumors gradually overtake healthy kidney tissue. The mother of two young sons, ages 7 and 12, Kawski is currently receiving dialysis as she waits on the donor list, along with thousands of others in the same or similar situations. His girlfriend, Christina Kawski, 42, of Dunkirk is currently living with renal kidney failure and is in dire need of a kidney transplant.
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