Tandyla’s Journey
There is still a lot to do in this life…
Tandyla’s journey for a kidney transplant officially began in late 2019. But the story begins a year earlier, with two serious hospital stays exactly a month apart from each other in late 2018.
During the first hospital stay, Tandyla was in septic shock during the first 24-48 hours. This condition can be fatal and can lead to severe damage to certain organs, including the kidney. She required several days in the hospital to stabilize, a nursing home stay, and physical therapy, as well. But the havoc wreaked by the infection, along with the antibiotics needed to fight it, weakened her drastically. She was slowly on the mend leading up to late November, but was unable to fight off another infection. She and some of her family had to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital.
The months that followed involved meeting with her nephrologist, submitting to frequent blood draws to check whether her diminished kidney functioning was chronic, and dealing with an iron deficiency, as well.
With her kidneys continuing to decline in function (operating at 13% GFR or capacity), her nephrologist recommended her for a kidney transplant.
There are 1,000 steps – or so it seems – involved with qualifying for a transplant. The steps until now have involved getting linked to a transplant hospital, submitting initial qualification paperwork, diagnostic testing, more blood work, being evaluated by the transplant coordination team, and all the small course corrections those actions require along the way.
For now, Tandyla remains hopeful for the future. She and her care team hope to find a living donor before needing to start dialysis. So, a preemptive kidney transplantation would be ideal in her situation. She is also in a race against time, because reaching a certain age makes it slightly more difficult to qualify for a transplant. But having a living kidney donor may mitigate that difficulty.
When asked by the transplant coordination team why she wants a kidney transplant, Tandyla answered “There is still a lot to do in this life – I want to be an active participant in my grandchildren and children’s lives like I was able to do a few years ago.” Since her hospital stays in 2018, that ability has noticeably diminished. But she knows that following all the right steps in preparation and actually receiving a transplant will bring her that much closer to accomplishing her goal.
About TeamTandyla
TeamTandyla is a group of concerned and committed folks that want to learn about kidney transplantation and the living kidney donation process. Some of us cannot donate our kidneys due to medical reasons. Others are curious about the process but have questions best addressed by Kidney Donation Coordinators and healthcare professionals.
TeamTandyla knows our transplant hopeful from the many events she has donated her time to over the years.
Some of us know her from supporting her children and grandchildren in their sporting and academic endeavors.
Others of us know her from the church at which she grew up, got married, and continues to have many other memorable moments in her life.
All of us probably know of her distinctive penmanship, her care for others expressed with a plate of warm brownies, or the camera always in hand for the many events her children and grandchildren participated in growing up.
However you know her, know that she remains committed to living her best life as she prepares for a kidney transplant – if and when it ever comes.