Unknown donor’s gift of life to Jackson
At 23 years old, Jackson Print feels like his life is just beginning.
He’s suffered from chronic kidney failure his entire life, and for the past three years the Ashburton man has spent nine hours every night hooked up to a dialysis machine.
But the kindness and incredible generosity of a complete stranger has changed all that. An anonymous live donor has given Print a new kidney, which for him was literally the gift of life.
Print was diagnosed with dysplastic kidneys when he was just two weeks old. Effectively his kidneys weren’t growing, and Print was facing a life of battling chronic kidney failure, which would at some point mean dialysis was required.
Growing up, it didn’t affect his day-to-day life – his parents made sure of that. Jackie Print said if her son was going to get anywhere in life, he just had to get on with it and persevere.
‘‘It was just a matter of how long, through medicine, they could help keep them going, and when they couldn’t, dialysis,’’ Jackie Print said.
Yes, there were countless hospital visits and pills, but Print continued to live his life. When he was 20 though, that changed. He had almost completed a car painting apprenticeship when a blood test revealed the time had come.
The week Print completed the final papers of his apprenticeship, he underwent surgery to insert a tube into his stomach for dialysis, and went onto the waiting list for a new kidney.
With dialysis started, Print’s two brothers put their hands up to donate kidneys, but both were tested and neither were able to. Life became a waiting game.
Print had to give up car painting due to dropping energy levels and instead took a job sorting for a courier for five hours at night, six days a week, and would sleep during the day.
Nine hours of dialysis every night meant there was no time for a social life; he had little energy for anything anyway.
Last August, Print’s health took a further turn for the worst. His brother found him having a seizure on the bathroom floor.
Print was flown to Christchurch Hospital and spent four days in intensive care. It emerged pains he’d been having in the back of his head in the days leading up to the seizure were mini strokes, but fortunately Print recovered with only some short term memory loss to show for the experience.
Then, in March, Print received the call that changed his life. A donor had been found; an anonymous live one.
Unlike many donor recipients who had to move quickly because the donor was deceased and time was of the essence, Print had plenty of time to absorb what was about to happen. Transplant day was booked in for May 29.
He doesn’t know anything about the donor. But the Prints are hopeful that one day they might find out, so they can thank the person who gave Jackson life.
‘‘I just can’t even believe it. The person just needs to know how grateful we are, the whole family. It’s given Jackson a decent chance at a normal life, and to be healthy,’’ Jackie Print said.
Print spent 10 weeks in Christchurch, having regular post-op checks but all signs were good, and he’s now home and a new man.
Gone is the tired and drained 23-year-old. He’s been replaced with a motivated 23-year-old who is full of energy, who can’t wait to get back to working on the race car in his garage. He’s even contemplating getting back to cricket, and might head for his first swim in three years.