Background:

Dear Donor: 

James Conley, known as Buster to his family and friends, is a decorated war veteran, who served his country proudly and with honor.  From his year-long tour in the jungles of Vietnam, he endured what most of us can never imagine.  Buster was routinely exposed to Agent Orange, which has led to his current battle with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and he now needs a kidney. 

Buster is a gentle giant, a loving husband, father, and son. He’s been married to his bride and soulmate, Linda, for 30 years, and his biggest buddy is River, a lovable, energic lab, affectionally known as “Wildman.”  They go every together.  He also has a loving daughter, Tanya, wonderful sister, Nita, sweet niece Dana, close brother-in-law David.  He helps his family whenever needed. 

Buster serves his family and friends with 100% commitment, dedication, love and selflessness.  He cared full time for his loving mother, Lib, for years, ensuring she was able to stay at her own house until she was called Home by our Heavenly Father.  He is always helping his friends and neighbors with projects, usually involving his John Deer tractor.  Buster also worked over 40 years for an electric utility, in the field, ensuring the lights stayed on, and also helped rebuild the lines after natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina. 

Buster and his family can’t win this battle by themselves. Sadly, while his closest family members volunteered to donate, and were tested, they were not approved to be a kidney donor, which was devasting news.   

The only way to overcome CKD is by receiving a transplant which is why we are reaching out to a broader audience to ask for your help, with hopes of finding someone to be his altruistic donor.  Will you help Buster and his family in this fight for his life?  Please. The Conley family would be most appreciative to the person who comes forward to be a living donor. 

What does it mean to be a donor many people ask? It means that you share the gift of life with Buster, and his family.  That is not a euphemism, it is truly what will keep him alive because the average lifespan of a dialysis patient is 5 to 7 years, but a recipient of a transplant is much longer.  Scientists have proved over the course of many decades that humans can live their lifespan with one healthy kidney.  We only need one healthy kidney to live the span of our lives - and we are asking you to please be the person who shares life with him. 

Currently, there are over 100,000 waiting to find their donors.  Please consider donating!  The procedure is deemed safe.  It's been performed thousands of times and has become more efficient to the point that when it is being done using laparoscopic incision (which leaves a small mark of a couple inches) it requires a short recovery time for the donor, and in Buster’s case, their insurance will pay for the procedure.  The Conley’s will ensure a donor does not have to incur expenses. To save someone's life is a matter of the heart.  We ask you to please search your heart and let us know if you would be willing to be Buster’s much needed life-saving donor.   

Buster’s blood type is O and he is listed at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Iowa City and at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC. 

With Gratitude, 

James “Buster” Conley and Family

Note From James:

Hello,

Thank you for expressing interest and showing your support of my need for a living kidney donor. 

For further questions, please send me a message (below). Thanks again!

Regards,

Jim

What is the Altruistic Living Donor Program?

The Altruistic Living Donor Program matches altruistic (selfless) donors with recipients awaiting transplantation. The transplant team is available to fully evaluate all potential living donors, whether living-related, emotionally-related or altruistic. The Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division is experienced in the evaluation and management of all living donors. 

Click here to learn about how safe Living Kidney Donation really is.

Click here to learn more about the urgent need for more kind-hearted, generous potential Living Kidney Donors like you!

In The News:

Kidney transplant chains enable willing donors to give kidneys to strangers as long as they're a good match. Now Megyn Kelly welcomes some of the many members of a transplant chain that's 46 donors long, and still growing. Watch as kidney recipients meet the donors who gave them a new lease on life for the first time.

Hear From An Expert:

Lloyd Ratner, MD, Director, Renal and Pancreatic Transplant Program, tells prospective patients, kidney donors, and families what they need to know about kidney donation and transplantation. In this direct and engaging presentation, Dr. Ratner provides a wealth of information about the advantages of living donor kidney donation; laparoscopic and open surgical techniques; what donors and recipients should expect during and after surgery; post-operative pain and followup; and post-donation pregnancy.

Here Is Why Dylan Became A Living Kidney Donor:

The kidney transplant wait list has been increasing sharply in the US over the past two decades. Most transplants come from deceased donors — people who elect to donate their organs when they die. But there's another large source of potential kidneys: living donors. Since we have two kidneys, most people can share a kidney with other people. Most living donors give a kidney to someone they know, like a relative or a friend. But there are also non-directed living kidney donors, other wise known as altruistic donors or good samaritans. Watch this video to see the story of one such donor, Dylan Matthews.

Video Testimonial:

“I’m hoping to educate people about the donation process from the donor's perspective. I had so many questions about what my life would look like post donation and it was very difficult to find answers.” - Allyssa Bates

Written Testimonial:

“If it can help someone, my goodness yes, do it. What’s the downside?” - Marc (Living Kidney Donor)

Marc is a pragmatic man. A former venture capitalist and the current executive vice president of the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation, Marc didn’t get where he is today by letting emotion rule the day. To Marc, life is about analyzing the facts and making a decision accordingly. Nothing more. “But, there are times one has to say, ‘What the heck? Go for it,’” he says.

So when his older brother needed a kidney, Marc gave him one, and he did it without a ton of emotion or debate.

“If you see someone standing in front of a dangerous situation, you do something to stop impending disaster,” Marc said matter-of-factly. “It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Marc’s older brother, Alexander, was diagnosed with kidney disease before he was old enough to walk. Back then, the doctors told Alexander’s parents he probably wouldn’t live to enter kindergarten. But he did. Then the doctors said he wouldn’t live to see his 10th birthday. But he did.

The ominous predictions continued, but his will to live always won out. As medications advanced, Alexander was able to control his disease without dialysis. As children, Alexander’s three brothers probably didn’t know that Alexander’s health—even his ability to live one year longer—was so precarious. “I don’t think that we were ever fully aware of that. We just knew our brother was sick,” Marc recalled.

When Marc was about 12, he remembers telling his brother he would give him a kidney if he ever needed one. Thirty-two years later, in August 1996, Alexander took him up on that offer.

By now Alexander’s kidneys had deteriorated to the point where it was clear he might not survive without a new kidney. Marc immediately asked to be tested to see if he would be a match.

“It was just a no-brainer,” Marc said. Even back then, he didn’t really see it as that big of a deal.

“This is just one of the things I’ve got going on in the next couple of weeks,” Marc recalled thinking. “I’ve got meetings, a new business venture, a new home and other things I’m doing as well.”

Marc was a match—which he always sensed he would be—and the surgery was scheduled. Before the operation, Marc was in great physical health, and his brother obviously wasn’t. For a short time, the surgery flip-flopped that. Now Marc was recovering from major surgery, but Alexander was immediately feeling better because he had a new kidney that was doing its job. But that didn’t last.

About six months after the surgery, Alexander developed complications with one of his medications, and began to have some rejection reactions. The doctors were advising that he get rid of the donated kidney and go on dialysis. He called Marc and asked for his opinion. It was his kidney, after all.

“It’s yours now. You can do what you want with it,” Marc recalled telling his brother. Together they assessed different treatment options that could be done while preserving the donated kidney. Ultimately, Alexander’s condition improved. That was nearly 13 years ago. Today, Alexander is retired and living with his wife in Florida.

Marc said he never really suffered any effects as a result of donating one kidney. An avid bicyclist and skier before and after surgery, he says nothing has changed in his life. Marc doesn’t think too often about his choice to give his brother a kidney. Occasionally, he’s reminded by the scar, but even in retrospect, the decision was simple. And he hopes others will consider doing the same.

Written Testimonial II:

Ray is a living kidney donor who said wrote about his experience: "In August 2013 I decided to donate (anonymously) a kidney to anyone who needed it more than I did. Although in my early 60s I considered myself in good enough health to undertake this procedure. After about 6 months of tests this was confirmed, and the process of finding the most suitable recipient was started. After almost exactly a year the transplant took place, the whole process being documented in a blog – kidneydonor2014.wordpress.com.

After a few weeks of recuperation I was back at work, and life was completely back to normal for me within a month or two. I have always been a keen outdoors person and since the operation I have successfully completed several multi-day walks, such as the 4-day Heaphy Track Great Walk in New Zealand.

Most recently I walked, in 30 days total, El Camino de Santiago, the 880 km pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees across Spain to Santiago de Compostela and on to the coast at Finisterre. Life with one kidney certainly does rock!"

The Need For Living Kidney Donors

“There are about 90,000 people waiting for kidney transplants in the United States,” says Dr. Gibney. “There are about 14,000 kidney transplants a year. Each year, more people are in need of organs and get added to that list.

So that’s one of the things that makes living donation so important is that there’s a fairly limited supply of organs. If there are friends or family members who can give, that can save lives and really extend people’s lives by years and years.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Living Kidney Donation:

Who can be a donor?
To qualify as a living donor, an individual must be in good health, free from any serious medical problems and between the ages of 21 and 60.

What are the risks involved?
Donating a kidney does not have any long-term effect on health. Donors may experience a slight rise in blood pressure and a small amount of excess protein in the urine following surgery. There is no greater risk of developing kidney failure after donating at kidney than anyone in the general population.

Are there activities that I will not be able to do in the future if I choose to donate a kidney?
In general, donating a kidney does not have any long-term effect on health. Some restrictions do apply following donor surgery, including reducing or eliminating the use of NSAIDS and avoiding any activity that may cause injury to the surgical area.

Who makes the final decision on potential donors?
Based on the evaluation results, the Transplant team (comprised of nephrologists, nurses, social workers, dieticians and other transplant specialists) decides whether or not to proceed with a living donor kidney transplant as the best therapeutic option.

Who pays for the donor's medical expenses?
The recipient's insurance covers all of the donor's evaluation and hospitalization costs; however, it does not cover lost income, transportation costs or personal expenses. The transplant financial advisor reviews the potential donor/recipient procedures and associated costs carefully prior to the evaluation.

How long will I be in the hospital?
Most donors remain in the hospital for two to three days.

What is the recovery process like?
Most kidney donors resume normal activities four to six weeks after surgery. Donors are not able to drive for three to four weeks after discharge and are not permitted to lift heavy objects. You may need assistance with daily living activities during this time.

How long will I be out of work?
Depending on the nature of the work, donors typically return to work between 10 days and two weeks.

What happens if I decide not to become a living liver donor?
At any point, for any reason, the evaluation process can be stopped. The recipient will remain active on the transplant list and is free to find another potential living donor.

Shocking Stats:

Chief Medical Officer (United Network for Organ Sharing) Dr. David Klassen (Nephrologist) said in a Huffington Post article, "I’ve also witnessed the results of the severe organ shortage in this country. Too often I’ve lost patients because the organ they needed did not come in time. Too many lives cut short. Too many dreams unlived." The following are a few very sobering stats which Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patients should share as well as their loved ones:

90,000 - The number of Dialysis patients that die every year according to Renal and Urology News. 

121,076 - The number of people currently waiting for a lifesaving organ in the United States, as reported by the United Network for Organ Sharing. 

100,269 - The number of patients awaiting a Kidney Transplant specifically. This suggests that approximately 80.9% of the entire organ transplant waiting list is made of individuals in need of a kidney. It is important to note that living kidney donation is very safe and if found to be a match, a donor would undergo a rigorous health evaluation before donating to ensure good long-term health outcomes.

22 - The number of people who die every single day, waiting for a transplant.

4,500 - The number of Chronic Kidney Disease patients that die every year waiting for a kidney transplant, as noted by the Living Kidney Donor Network.

6 - The number of people added to the transplant wait list every hour, reported by Huffington Post.

0 (zero) - The number of major religions that are against their members donating an organ. All major organized religions in the United States are favorable of organ and tissue donation and most likely consider it an act of charity.

Media:

If you would like to share Jim's story via your publication, then please send him a direct message below.