Today, I would like to share something personal, something that is time sensitive: My friend Lou needs a kidney. I would like to post a letter from his friend, who already started the process of finding him a new kidney.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider helping. Thank you.

Lou was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December 2012. It was a five-year “dance” with cancer that thanks to traditional and non-traditional approaches, the love and support of friends and family, a whole lot of prayer, and a positive attitude, Lou has been cancer-free for three years! I am amazed and in awe of what he has overcome. He’s like an Energizer Bunny; you can’t keep this middle-aged, balding Italian down! I wish the story ended there.

Lou is kind, gentle, compassionate, funny, loving, smart, a survivor, a beautiful human, a personal hero of mine. And Lou needs a kidney. We met during our freshman year at Washington University in St. Louis. We were in the Drama Department together, we lived together, danced together, cooked together, stayed up late talking and facing our existential neuroses together-as one does in college - and generally had each other’s backs. He was a competitive figure skater - long legs and arms and incredibly graceful. 

Lou is a professional theater artist and has been for 30 years. His passion now mainly lies in teaching, mentoring, and coaching young artists. He always finds time to volunteer as a tutor for an adult literacy reading program, for Meals on Wheels, or as a supporter of Joey’s Acts of Love, in honor of his nephew, which has donated clothing, art supplies, and toys to young students in Central New York. Lou’s first language was Italian, and he LOVES that country. He is proud of what his immigrant parents accomplished, and the life they built for him and his sisters. Lou makes a mean cheesecake - his mama’s recipe, of course. 

Somewhere along his journey, as the result of the chemotherapy or experimental medications, Lou’s kidneys began to fail. For the past ten months, he has been on dialysis treatments. Dialysis is not fun. It has been the most challenging thing he has ever had to do. There are details of his journey that Lou prefers I not talk about publicly. However, I’d be happy to share more with you one to one. Lou receives three dialysis treatments per week, and though they leave him exhausted, he remains positive and thankful for the “bonus days.”

So that brings us to the here and now. Lou needs a kidney, and I am going to help him find one. I am asking you to help too. In the kidney transplant world, I am called Lou’s Donor Champion. The reality is I’m just someone who adores Lou and feels strongly that his beautiful, loving soul needs to be on the planet as long as possible.

“There is an upside to facing your mortality, and that is the acknowledgment of the precious gift of time. We all have an expiration date, and my daily acknowledgment of this allows me to live in gratitude and appreciation. Letting go of the small stuff and experiencing the blessings of what I see around me, all that I receive from loved ones like honesty, humor, kindness, generosity, and, of course, affection has enriched my life. The gifts are immeasurable and far outweigh the challenges. I will continue to participate, contribute, and pay it forward as best I can, regardless of the mileage on these old (or a new) kidneys.”

— Lou

Ultimately, Lou is looking for a living donor. Living organ transplants have a shorter wait time, better outcomes, and twice the organ life expectancy.

Let’s get down to brass tacks. Being a living donor is a tremendous act to consider and certainly not for everyone. If you already know you’d like to get the ball rolling to find out if you might be a candidate for Lou, bless you, and thank you.

Resources:

• Download Online Living Donor Screening Form: www.upstate.edu/surgery/ld_screen_form.php

• Or call Lavell Jones, Living Donor Coordinator, Upstate Transplant Center in Syracuse, NY. Call: (315) 464-5413

• → National Kidney Foundation or call (855) 653-7337

• → General Information

If you are considering being a donor, I am happy to share some resources with you and am grateful for your consideration. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, Sandy Spatz, at sandyspatz@rcn.com

THANK YOU!

— Sandy