I need a kidney transplant. Learn more about my story and how the process works.
I need a kidney transplant. Learn more about my story and how the process works.
My name is Ken Welsh and I have End-Stage Renal Disease. I am 47 years old and am from Burbank, Illinois. I have been with my wife, Tiffany, for 23 years. We have two children, Ken Jr (20) and Kenzie (17). I work full time at my city's water department. I take pride in helping provide my family and neighbors clean drinking water. I love the games of baseball and softball. Both of our children have played the games since early childhood. Some of the greatest joy in my life has been watching them play and grow into fine, young adults. Our son, Ken Jr, strives to start a career in the medical field. Kenzie continues to play softball for her travel team and high school. She will continue her softball career and further her education at college in the fall. I am an avid sports fan, particularly the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears and the Chicago Blackhawks. Sports has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people throughout my life. I volunteered at my local Little League for about a decade. I was lucky to help provide my community with a place for kids to learn about baseball and softball, competition and being part of the community. It's a wonderful sense of accomplishment to see so many kids grow up and be succesful in their lives. I will always help out whoever I can whenever I can. One thing I will never do is give up.
In early 2024, I began experiencing some symptoms that I would later learn were caused by end-stage renal disease (ESRD). I was regularly fatigued and felt weak. I lost my appetite and dropped a considerable amount of weight. At the end of May, I began to have blurred vision. This was the result of very high blood pressure. I went to the hospital and that's when my life changed. I was diagnosed with ESRD.
ESRD is the final, permanent stage of chronic kidney disease (stage 5), occurring when kidneys function at less than 15% of normal, necessitating dialysis or transplantation. Primarily caused by diabetes or hypertension, it causes symptoms like fatigue, nausea, swelling, and reduced urination.
Simply put, my kidneys do not to work well enough to keep me alive. I need to do dialysis. I currently do peritoneal dialysis at home every day for about eight hours per day. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a home-based treatment for kidney failure that uses the lining of my belly (peritoneum) as a filter to clean my blood. A catheter was surgically placed into my abdomen. A cleaning solution fills my abdomen that absorbs waste from my blood, which is later drained and replaced during daily exchanges. The average life expectancy after starting peritoneal dialysis is 5 to 10 years.
This is why I am seeking a living kidney donor. A transplant is not a cure, but it is the best treatment available to ESRD patients. The benefits of living donor kidney transplants are well‐documented; the kidneys from living donors have longer survival rates, function better and have fewer complications than kidneys from deceased donors.
I am typically a very private person, but I need help. I’m not asking for money or financial support, I am lucky to have insurance which covers most of my costs. I am asking for the greatest gift me and my family can ever receive: a kidney donation. Please take a few moments to learn about the donation process.
I am currently Iisted on the kidney transplant list at three transplant centers in the midwest: Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa and The University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. The wait time for a kidney transplant from the various lists (from a deceased donor) can be up to seven years. Until I can get a kidney transplant I will need to continue dialysis.
My blood type is O-. This does not necessarily mean that a living donor has to have the same blood type as there are programs that can work around a mismatched blood type. If you are interested in becoming a living donor, please note that all of your medical expenses—evaluation, surgery, and follow-up care—are covered by my health insurance. Donor-specific programs like Donor Shield and the National Living Donor Assistance Center provide reimbursement for lost wages, travel, and lodging.
To learn more about the donation process or to be evaluated, please review each center's transplant program at the following links. I am grateful for everyone's prayers and words of encouragement.
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