Fox 59 shared the amazing story of a Kokomo man’s journey to find a kidney for his wife, and we just had to talk about it too.
Jim Spier is on a mission to get his wife Kathy a new kidney, something she’s been needing for the past three years. Recently her kidney function has dropped below 10% and the need is greater than before. The Kokomo man says the addition of a bumper sticker to his car is helping greatly.
People have called the number asking how they could get tested to see if they are a match and plenty have honked to show their support. If you believe you may be a match or are interested to see if you could help the Spier family just follow these directions.
Donors can refer themselves by calling Tammi Rader directly at 317-338-2694. The evaluation is divided into three phases:
- First phase is to see if the donor is compatible with the recipient.
- If the donor is compatible with the recipient, they need go get a lab blood draw. The lab tests to look at the donor’s health and how healthy they are through lab work – particularly looking at kidney disease, diabetes and more.
- Third phase is an all day evaluation appointment with 8 members of the team. This is inclusive of chest x-ray, CT Scans and EKG. If they are selected by the selection committee, surgery is scheduled based on when it works the best for the donor.
Donors are covered under HIPAA privacy laws. Donors are not paid to donate their kidney but they are not charged either for their evaluation, surgery or care.
