DUNNVILLE—It’s been just under two months since Dunnville resident Alex Byrne launched an awareness campaign highlighting her lifelong friend Jodi Park’s need for a live kidney donor.
In the time since, many have taken the required compatibility test to see if they might be a match for the procedure. Park is still searching for that perfect match, and has begun dialysis treatments in the meantime to treat her condition, Vesicoureteral Reflux, which causes urine to flow backward from the bladder into the ureters and sometimes up to the kidneys.
Described in a previous Press article on the campaign as in kidney failure her entire life, but only becoming aware at 16, Park is a 36-year-old mother, daughter, wife, and a support worker at Community Living Haldimand.
She described her dialysis experience so far as not easy. Byrne elaborated, calling the process a “rollercoaster for her body.”
“When Jodi goes for dialysis, the machine is the kidney. Dialysis has been a roller-coaster for her body; her blood pressure has gotten up over 200 while connected. Dialysis isn’t as simple as just getting connected to the machine and sitting there,” said Byrne.
She noted that while her friend has had good days, many other days leave her bed ridden.
“If she happens to be out, she has mentally and physically put a lot of effort into that. It’s been hard seeing my friend go through this and scary because of how cautious she has to be with her body, being that the port line goes straight into her heart, there’s no room for error and risking an infection.”
Park praised the “amazing” work of the nurses and doctors at the Welland Dialysis clinic. “It has been a lot of trial and error to find what works for my body,” she said.
“The hardest part of dialysis is not knowing how I’m going to feel that day after treatment,” she said. “Some days are great and others I can’t get out of bed. The other thing is having to schedule my life around machine time. The most I get off is two days in a row.”
The typical pain and side effects associated with the treatment process are starting to feel manageable for Park, thanks to fulsome communication with her medical team, as well as speaking with other dialysis patients.
“Them sharing their experiences with me has been so helpful. Some days the pain is so bad I can’t even open my eyes it hurts so bad,” she shared.
Despite the pain, Park remains resilient, buoyed by her friends, family, and the many people who have contacted her thanks to the awareness campaign.
She also stressed that her condition “isn’t a death sentence … it’s just a bump in the road and we will get through this, and it will be a thing of the past we hope.”
She stressed that finding a donor match would help her get back to the life she loves, where energy is an available resource.
“I would love to get back to doing the things I love with the people I love. I can’t even start to explain what it’s like going to do something so simple and small – something you did all the time without even thinking – but your body is so tired and runs out of energy so fast that it’s not just a simple task anymore. Finding a match would mean the world.”
Byrne said the initial campaign generated an incredible response, with people reaching out from all walks of life, from old friends, to colleagues, even former teachers.
They’ve also heard from both previous donors and those who’ve received donations in support and solidarity.
“People who don’t even know Jodi, they’re literal strangers from across Canada, contacting me and completing the questionnaire,” said Byrne, noting how her flyer went viral on social media many times over the last couple of months. The support goes beyond completing the questionnaire, with Park’s family even receiving home-cooked meals from strangers
“Most people have been very supportive and it’s special to witness,” said Byrne, expressing gratitude and thanks to the community. “Every time someone checks in on my best friend, every time someone talks about Jodi’s journey to find a kidney, every share on social media, every time the article is talked about when someone puts the newspaper down, all of this helps spread the word for Jodi, but also hopefully helps others who may be going through the same thing or something similar.”
“All of the support will lead to something great soon, I have no doubt about it. Please keep sharing and spreading the word.”
Byrne encouraged interested, but trepidatious potential donors to contact her through the Facebook group ‘A Kidney for Jodi’ to be put in touch with other donors willing to share their experience and help alleviate fear over the procedure.
She encouraged people to check out resources available at the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton website (stjoes.ca) for even more details and to find the link to the questionnaire.
“Jodi is so young,” concluded Byrne. “It’s just a bump in the road. We’re lucky that she is a great candidate for a kidney transplant.”
