Joseph R. Smith of Red Deer suffers from chronic kidney failure and is hoping to find a living donor for a kidney transplant.

By Sheldon Spackman

CALLING ALL ORGAN DONORS

Red Deer man urgently looking for kidney donor

May 11, 2019 | 9:53 AM

A Red Deer man suffering from chronic kidney failure is hoping to find a living kidney donor with O blood type.

Joseph R. Smith, 38, is in need of one kidney and currently undergoes dialysis treatments three times per week at Red Deer Regional Hospital.

“The main one attacking my kidneys right now is called IgA, it’s kind of an auto-immune disease,” says Smith. “With my age and the rest of my health good, like my lungs, my heart, everything that way is good, a transplant is the best thing.”

Smith says potential donors would have to contact Living Donor Services at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.

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“There’s probably a three-months to a year work-up that needs to be done for them to ensure that the donor is not only a match, but that they’re in a healthy enough condition that they can afford to lose a kidney and still lead a normal life,” explains Smith. “It’s coming up on nine years here now and I started dialysis in September of last year. For me personally, it’s very urgent.”

Smith says his dialysis treatments will keep him going for a while but adds he may not make it past 60 without a kidney transplant.

“That 50-60 year age-range is about my limit,” Smith says. “With the way the transplant list works for a cadaver (deceased) donor, your average wait time is five years after the time you start dialysis. I’m 38-years-old, I have a wife and a seven-year-old son at home and due to the disease, I only work three days a week because of fatigue and nausea and pain and whatnot.”

Smith says that means he doesn’t get to play with his son or be with his wife as much as he would like to.

“Due to the catheters and stuff for the dialysis, I’m not able to go swimming,” Smith adds for example. “I can sit on the beach but I have to stay away from the water and stay covered and everything. Then I lose three evenings a week, that time with my family, because I’m sitting in a chair in a hospital connected to a machine.”

Smith admits his condition has put a strain on his family.

“My wife sometimes has to pick up some extra hours here and there and work a lot to try and compensate,” says Smith. “My son, it bugs him sometimes when I’m not able to take him to the park or just play with him out in the backyard. I’ve explained all this to my son and what’s happening and so he’s aware of everything but for a seven-year-old, that’s quite a bit of weight on the shoulders.”

Smith concludes dialysis treatments will keep him alive for a certain amount of time but points-out they do little to help with quality of life.

“At this point, really the only thing that would help would be for a donor to come forward and be able to donate a kidney and be willing to donate a kidney.”

To inquire about donating for Joseph R. Smith, call Living Donor Services at 1-780-407-8698.