Sammamish: the new city of brotherly love
June 18, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Man gives kidney to older brother
When Kit Eldredge learned that his brother needed a kidney transplant, he said he felt predestined to help.
“The way I’m wired, I’m not only an optimist, I’m a fatalist as well,” said Kit. “All things happen for you, not to you.”
Kit Eldredge, 53, lives in the Crest neighborhood of Sammamish. Married to his wife Marlene for 32 years, Kit has three children: Catherine, a 15-year-old at Inglewood Junior High; Michael, 19, a soon-to-be sophomore at Linfield College; and Kristina, 22, a recent graduate of Central Washington University.
Kit is a sales manager for Tyco Electronics, an international electronics firm, working in the wireless radio division. He grew up in St. Paul, Minn. in a Catholic family with five sisters and three brothers.
In April 2007, Kit learned that his older brother Tully, 57, had a failing kidney and would either need a new one, or would need to transition to kidney dialysis.
While there are several types of dialysis treatment, they all involve a method of filtering out the blood in your failing kidney through an outside mechanism. There are do-it-yourself home kits and daily walk-in clinics, but they each require constant attention.
“I was told by everybody that dialysis is hard on the body. I’m thinking, I don’t think so,” said Tully. “I’m absolutely going to have a new kidney.”
So Tully set out to find a donor. He contacted his seven siblings.
Five went to doctors to gauge their kidneys’ compatibility with Tully’s body. Two – Kit and his sister Loui, 59 – were perfect matches.
Both brothers said potential donors are rated on a six point scale and Kit and Loui were sixes.
Given her age and history of back problems, Loui’s doctor advised against her donating a kidney.
Kit then jumped at the opportunity to help.
“You asked him to do a favor, but then it’s like he’s just asked you to do him a favor. He’s so generous. It’s just strange,” said Tully. “He’s just like, ‘This is going to be so cool. It’s going to be great.’”
Most people with kidney failure elect to receive a transplant, if possible, according to Connie Davis, a general nephrologist at the University of Washington. Nephrology is a branch of medicine concerned with kidneys.
“There’s no question, for most people, kidney transplantation will give them a longer life,” said Davis. “In general, when you have a transplant, you feel better. A lot of people go back to work.”
Davis, who also runs the kidney transplant program at the University of Washington, said anywhere from 10 to 12.5 percent of people in the U.S. experience some form of kidney failure.
Kidney failure is on the rise in this country, especially with people older than 60 years old, Davis said.
The American way of life may also play a role in the problem, according to Davis.
“With our lifestyle, there’s more diabetes, and more high blood pressure,” she said.
Tully’s kidney had slowly failed over a number of years, he said, but the dramatic change happened from 2006 to 2007, when it dropped from 12 percent to 9 percent functionality.
The effects of kidney failure were subtle, but Tully said he noticed some changes.
“The thing that really bothered me: I noticed that my mental capacities were deteriorating,” he said. Aside from feeling generally tired, short-term memory had become a problem, Tully recalled.
Sharp mental faculties were important to Tully, who works full time for Canteen, a national vending machine company.
The brothers underwent surgery May 6 at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.
“I’d like to say I was [afraid for Kit], but Kit has so much faith that it rubs off on me a bit,” said Marlene. “I was more afraid for Tully, that he wouldn’t accept the kidney.”
But the transplant went well. Tully felt so good, he was able to leave the hospital after four days, while Kit need an extra day of recovery.
Tully’s mental capacity and energy levels have returned to normal, he said, and the only sign of the surgery is a slight bulge on the right side of his belly button. That is where Kit’s kidney is stored, grafted just above Tully’s failing one.
“As I speak to you, I feel like it’s a nonevent,” said Kit, five weeks out of surgery.
There’s a slight residual effect in my abdomen, but I’m back to working full time and traveling. I can’t get out of household chores anymore.”
Even now, after the surgery, Kit’s concerns are more focused on his brother.
“I’m doing good. More importantly, my brother’s doing well.”
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
