Friends and Family š
Iād like to update you on some recent unfortunate changes with Renaeās health.
As many of you may know, Renae has a genetic kidney disorder that causes kidney failure. Over the past few years, her kidney function has steadily declined and she is currently in need of a kidney transplant.
If you are learning about this for the first timeā¦..hereās the background. Renae found out she had kidney disease in her late 20ās and has been seeing a nephrologist regularly. Sheās seen specialists, made diet/lifestyle changes, and has explored every possible option for treatment. Unfortunately the only option left for Renae is a kidney transplant.
As of December 2024, Renaeās kidney function is somewhere around 10%. As her kidney function continues to decline she will experience more fatigue, nausea, and mental fuzziness. Her quality of life will decline and she will no longer be able to keep up with the boys or live an active life. Once it goes a bit lower, it will require her to go on daily dialysis treatments to continue to keep her alive until a kidney donor is found. Simply put, her current kidney is on its ālast legā. The dialysis process has been proven to help prolong life, but it is hard on overall health and all of Renaeās doctors feel its much better for her health to avoid dialysis and focus our efforts on finding a new kidney.
We are actively seeking a living donor from our network of friends, family, and community. Renae has recently been added to the national kidney transplant list and has been approved to undergo surgery at UC Heath in Denver. This has already been a long journey and we have put our faith and trust in God that everything will work out the way itās supposed to. In so many different ways, everyone reading this message has supported us and loved us and we are very, very thankful. š
HOW YOU CAN HELP š
We are actively searching for a living donor to give a kidney to Renae. A donor can be any healthy adult who wants to help. You do not need to have the same blood type as Renae. And yesā¦.you only need one kidney to live a normal, active, and healthy life š. You can learn more about living kidney donation at the site below.
https://www.uchealth.org/services/transplant-services/living-donation/
If you or someone you know would like to be considered as a possible donor, the first step is to complete the online survey below. It takes about 15 minutes and they will ask some basic health questions.
https://www.uchealthlivingdonor.org/ š
After youāve completed it, the hospital will review and provide additional information. THIS IS COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL and Renae and I will only know if you are considering donating if you choose to tell us. Doing the survey below commits you to nothing other than potentially receiving more information. The hospital will also offer to connect you with a living donor coordinator if you wish to continue the process.
f you have any questions or would like to learn more about what is involved with becoming a donor, you can reach out to the hospital's Living Donor Coordinator. The contact info is below.
TransplantLivingDonor@uchealth.org
(720) 848-0855 x Option 6
If you have any general (non-medical) questions about kidney donation you can contact Jesse anytime day or night. We also have been in contact with several former donors in the community that would also will be willing to speak with anyone with specific questions.
jessej31@gmail.com
(303) 653 4421
We understand there are a variety of reasons becoming a donor might not be possible for you and thatās OK. If that's the case, please consider whether there are other people in your community for whom this might be an option and forward the above information to them. And most of all, please just continue to be there for Renae and the boys as they go through this difficult time.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We know this is a LOT. It is a lot for us too. I do not remember taking the class in school that taught you the appropriate way to how to ask your friends and family for body parts. So just understand weāre all learning as we go. After initially sharing the website we got A LOT of questions so moving forward Iām going to just list them out here. There are no dumb questions here so keep them coming. And THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who is considering helping Renae.
Does my blood type have to be an exact match?
The best case donor would be the same Type O as Renae but BLOOD TYPE DOES NOT MATTER. Any person who donates on behalf of Renae will result in her getting a new kidney thru a Kidney Exchange. Or to say it another way, if you put one into the system on behalf of Renae Jones she will get to take one out. Your kidney will actually go to someone else but it will still be your action that will ultimately help Renae.
How does Renae feel now?
Renae is still working full time. She works out every week. She hangs out with her friends, walks her dog, and goes to her boys sporting events. Weāre heading back to the midwest for the holidays and she will likely try to ski a bit this winter. However she is very tired. She sleeps in a little later than she used too and goes to bed a little earlier. She most likely will continue to get more and more tired and groggy as time goes on until we reach a point where she needs to use a dialysis machine to prevent end-stage renal failure. Weāre not there yet, but every day brings us a little closer and every individualās kidney failure point is a little different.
Is Dialysis an option?
Many of you may have friends or family members who use a daily dialysis machine. Its a wonderful life saving invention. For Renaeās condition dialysis is a worst case scenario. Her team of doctors has advised we try to avoid dialysis as it can be very difficult on the body and introduce additional complications. Weāre focusing all our efforts on trying to find a living donor before dialysis is required.
Do you need two kidneys?
In general, most people with a single, healthy kidney have few problems. The loss in kidney function is usually mild, and life span is not impacted. Most people with one kidney live healthy, normal lives with few problems. In other words, one healthy kidney can work as well as two.
Where will the surgery take place?
The surgery will take place at University of Colorado Health (UC Health) and Renae would not be able to travel to a donorās local hospital.
Can you buy a kidney or offer anything to do donor?
No. Itās highly illegal. Please donāt even joke about it.
Whoās insurance covers this?
Renaeās health insurance will cover all the costs for the medical procedure. There will be not any financial burden passed along to the hero who donated their kidney to Renae.
What pre-existing medical conditions would make me not a good fit for a donor?
The donation coordinator and team of physicians at UC Health will advise on whether or not you are a good candidate to donate after you have completed the initial survey. Jesse Jones has zero medical expertise and the internet is full of bad information so so please only talk to your personal doctor and the team at UC Health for more information.
Can you see the results of my survey?
Absolutely not. Renae and I will never ever know if you filled out the initial survey. Once you fill out the survey you will work with a living donor coordinator from UC Health that is a different person than Renaeās transplant coordinator. At no point will we know who is considering donating or any reason they decided not to donate.
