Waiting three years for a new kidney
‘‘The advice was you have to be good, you have to be disciplined enough and follow the rules: Stay fit, eat healthy food and rest.’’
Alphonso Parsons
For five hours, three times a week, Alphonso Parsons’ blood travelled through tubes into a machine where itwas filtered and pumped back into his body after his kidneys stopped working.
Thick tracks of scar tissue from the fistula – a blood vessel created to ease the transfer of blood between his body and the dialysis machine – mark the 54-year-old’s arm.
It is a reminder of the three years he spent on dialysis, a treatment he needed to stay alive.
It was time-consuming and took Parsons, who was planning his own funeral, away from his family.
But now the grandfather-offive from Porirua has a new kidney and a new lease of life.
‘‘I am enjoying life again,’’ he said. ‘‘I am so happy.’’
Kidneys are the most indemand organ in New Zealand, with about 450 Kiwis awaiting a transplant. Donations are increasing but have not kept up with demand. Last year, 133 deceased donors and 91 living donors gave kidneys.
Most of those awaiting a transplant will be on dialysis for up to three years, said Dr Nick Cross, National Renal Transplant Service clinical director.
Dialysis takes a toll on a person’s life, making it difficult to work or be involved in family.
‘‘They spend a lot of the day making sure they are drinking the right things, eating the right things. It makes a big impact on their quality of life from the symptoms and also the time factor,’’ Cross said.
‘‘People who are working beforehand find it very difficult to maintain a job, be involved in their family, look after their kids. That also adds up to lower quality of life.’’
Parsons’ family rallied around him when he was hooked up to the dialysis machine but now he can be found pitch-side on the weekends at his grandchildren’s Rippa Rugby games. He is regularly called up for babysitting duties.
High blood pressure, exacerbated by a rare hormone disorder called acromegaly, and long work hours, caused Parsons’ kidney failure. Kidney issues run in his family.
But once he was diagnosed, he slowed down. More than three years later, he got the call and got a new kidney.
‘‘The advice was you have to be good, you have to be disciplined enough and follow the rules: Stay fit, eat healthy food and rest,’’ he said.
He is one of the lucky ones, he said.
Many friends he met while on dialysis are not even on the kidney waiting list, while three had died in the last two weeks.
Parsons is ‘‘90 per cent’’ recovered from his operation: He can jog, do light weights and go for long walks with his dog, Stormy.
He is studying social work and wants to be able to help other renal patients and transplant recipients to have a better quality of life. He is forever grateful to the donor and their family for the kidney, and asks others to consider organ donation.
‘‘It gives us hope for another chance in life,’’ he said. ‘‘We will treasure it and take good care of it.’’