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Lilian received a Defiance treadmill

I applied for this grant because after reading about Shad’s life challenges I thought I would try to strengthen myself and feel better all around. As dialysis patents we are told that we are limited and unable to live a normal life. But what part of life is normal? All of us have something that effect’s our everyday living. For me it’s not having kidney function. But with the choice of dialysis I can live a normal life, Just include 12 hour’s a week devoted to cleaning my blood. In exchange I was able to see my son grow up. I have been on dialysis for fourteen year’s. I found out my kidney’s were failing the same day I found out I was pregnant. A joyful and sad day. But with the help of positive doctors and family members I had my healthy son. I’m now 46 year’s old and had bypass surgery last year. I want to get on a regular fitness program so I can get out and do even more thing’s than I thought I couldn’t do. So thanks to this grant I have a treadmill. I’m just starting out but I’ve already strengthened my legs. I think I’ll be leaving my Husband behind in the mall instead of me being behind him. Thank you for giving me this chance to better my outlook on life with out kidney function.

Lillian

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Melvin received Trek 3700 Mt. bike, gym membership, personal trainer

Hi my name is Mel . Most of my life I have battled with depression and since the age of 29 also with diabetes. At about the age of 4o I woke up one morning with a burst blood vessel in my eye. Within 6 months I was legally blind. Now my kidneys have also failed. Both of these events led to depression. I focused on what I had lost and what I could no longer do. I spent countless hours contemplating all the could of, should of, and would of that I could stand.

In the end everyone makes their own choices .Life is not necessarily fair. It can be difficult to come to terms with what happens but being unhappy and refusing to cope will not improve the situation.
I would like to get a kidney, but must lose weight first. I have found out the hard way that physical condition is a use it or lose it proposition. Being inactive makes things worse which leads to a downward spiral of capability. I have goals and they will take time and effort, I know it won’t be easy, and I doubt there will be all successes. This will be something that I do for me….

it can’t be bought and no one can do it for me.

I got the bike today and it is a nice one indeed. Thank you. I will go out to the YMCA next week as Dr. Pintar said that someone there should know about me.
I enjoyed hearing you speak. You have learned one of life’s hard lessons…the surest way to win a fight is to get up one more time than they knock you down. I have an example so now all I have to do is try to live up to it.

An update from Mel

Keep well, Mel

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I just wanted to keep in touch. I can not tell you how much I love the bike. It makes it easier to get around and is perfect for pure recreation and conditioning. I have not been able to get to the Y as much as I have wanted. My fistula clotted off. The new access didn’t devolpe and needed an angioplasty. I also have been hospitalized twice with pemacath infections. The good news is that my weight is down, breathing is better, and I have been averaging about 6 miles a day on the bike.

Mel

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Gene received a gym membership

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Allen received a gym membership

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JR received a Trek 820 Mt. bike, exercise bike

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Robert received an exercise bike from the foundation

This is a picture of me on the exercise bike given to me by the Shad Ireland Foundation. I want you to know that I appreciate the gift of the bike. I am getting outside quite a bit now, but when the weather gets bad I will be getting a lot of use from the bike. Between the bike and the aerobic machine I have I should be able to get a pretty good workout

Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Robert Sr.

Dori received a treadmill from the foundation

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The foundation provided Roberta with a gym membership.

I guess no one is ever ready to be told that they have a chronic illess, especially just a couple years after graduating from college. What was even harder for me was that both my parents had died while I was in school – my mom from heart disease my freshman year and my father from complications of kidney disease my senior year. I was alone in the word and fighting this myself. My kidney disease (FSGS) was caught by accident. I had a bad bladder infection and my blood pressure had suddenly been on the high side. The doctor post tested me after the bladder infection, and the tests were still coming positive. He did not understand it. So, he ran lots of tests until he could do no more. Then he told me what I did not want to hear – I need to see a nephrologist. At that point, I asked if he thought I had what my father did. He said that he was not sure, but something was definitely wrong with my kidneys. Finally the nephrologist did a biopsy, which was positive. When she told me, I just cried in her office. She hugged me and said that she would be there with me through this. The only good thing was that this was caught early. My creatin was 1.4. For about the next 6 years, I just went to appointments and did the lab tests that she wanted. This was also a secret about my health that no one knew about. I did worry about bit if I would be as sick as my father was. He had done PD dialysis, but only lived about 1.5 years after he started. He was not a candidate for transplant due to his age (70+ years). In the recent past two years, I have developed anemia, which made me so tired that I quit playing sports or working out. With that I added weight, which I was never skinny to begin with. But now I was bigger than I usualy have been. In October I had to have an AV fistula placed in the bicep of my right arm to prepare my body for dialysis. I had just starting attending a local church called The Chapel. I play percussion in the orchestra there. I decided that it was time to tell someone about my disease. So far they have been very supportive with helping me with this ordeal. This past December I caught the flu, which shot my creatine to 6.4. My doctor told me that it was time to start dialysis. I started it the day after my birthday (02/14). I was still very sick and not feeling well. I did not this think would help, especially after I saw how sick my father got. He only lived a very short time after he started his treatment. After talking with the doctors, techs and other people involved, I realized that I needed to fight back. I had gone through the process for transplant, but I weighed too much to get on the list. I have got to loose between 15 to 20 pounds. I finally decided to fight back. I was recently approved by the doctor to start working out again. I was glad. It was something I missed. But for a long time I was told I was too sick to do it. Then I realized, dialysis made me well enough to do it. So I recently started working out (swimming, stationary bike and weight lifting) at a local gym. I even got a freind from church to go with me every Saturday. She wants to get in shape for her wedding next year, which I just found out that I am in. I have had people at work ask why I don’t go on disability since I am so sick. I told them I am not disabled, I just have a chronic disease that makes a small part of my body not work right. As long as I am physically and mentaly able to, I plan to work. I just can’t lay at home and die. I want to have as much as a normal life as I can. There is just three nights that I sleep somewhere else. In the mornings, I may not feel great, but my employer is very understanding. My supervisor is a breast cancer survivor. Ultimately, I want to be healthy and fit. I know it helps with treatment and blood work. My short term goal is to get on the transplant list.

The foundation provided Jeffery with a Total Gym.

Living with End Stage renal failure by Jeffrey

While at a young age I was diagnosed with kidney problems by my pediatrician when I was 9 years old. The doctor stated to my parents that he didn’t know where the best place to go would be but that he would find the best place and let us know the next week as it was a Friday. When the doctor called my parents in he stated that at the time the best place would be Children’s Hospital of Detroit, Michigan. While at Children’s Hospital my parents and I were informed that my kidneys were only performing at a 10 percent capacity and that they would have to be removed. At this time they told us that I would have to go on dialysis. The doctors informed us that there were 3 types of dialysis treatments. After a lot of thought my parents decided that CAPD was the best choice and that they would have to be trained on how to perform this with me. When all the surgeries were completed my parents performed CAPD 5 times a day for about a year. The doctors asked my parents to be considered a donor and when the blood tests were completed my father was determined that he was the best choice for a kidney transplant. When his kidney rejected within 3 days and his kidney was removed I had to go back on CAPD. When I was 10 years old on Christmas Eve the phone rang, it was Children’s Hospital calling to let us know that a donor kidney was available. My parents came into my bedroom and woke me up along with my sister and told us the news and again we were off to the hospital. Traveling to Detroit for all the tests were getting to be a never ending trip when during one of these visits they discovered that the transplanted kidney was starting to reject. They tried everything to save this kidney by giving me all types of anti-rejection drugs including a new one called OKT3. This transplant lasted 2 years when it was discovered that a sudo cyst had developed on my pancreas; the doctors came to my parents and told them that this was very dangerous and that surgery was needed. I had to have a fistula installed in my left arm when I was 12 years old because of complications from all of the surgeries that I had received. About 6 months later I received a third transplant that was a complete success for approximately 5 years with very little side effects accept for the weight gain that I had from the anti rejection drugs. When this kidney started to fail I had to go back on CAPD, but my peritoneal membrane was no longer able to handle this type of dialysis and they had to start using the fistula.

I have learned to deal with this illness and have been doing hemo dialysis for the last 11 years. During this illness I have learned to deal with many things in my life which has made me a much better person and has given me a lot of strength by not letting this decease bring down my spirits. In my eyes and feelings I am no different than someone that is in perfect health. The only thing I do that is any different is that I go to a Dialysis unit and have my treatments done three times a week and take some medications that they do not. I am still working full time for Dana Corporation and still am able to enjoy what everything life brings forth, both good and bad. In closing I think one of the biggest things that have helped me through this long journey is that my family has been there for me any and all times. My family and friends would not let me give up and this has made me keep a positive attitude with my life and spirits.

The foundation provided Patrick with a Treadmill.

Since starting dialysis in 2003, Patrick has been determined to be pro-active and not allow kidney failure to dominate his life. He decided early on that he wanted a transplant and is now on the list at Ohio State University for a kidney and pancreas.

Recently the University called him for a possible match. He and his two brothers and mother made the two and a half hour trip to Columbus only to find when they got there that the organs would go to another recipient. Many people would have focused on the disappointment but Patrick put a characteristically positive spin on the experience. He told us he was grateful for the dry run because he had been very nervous about what would happen if he received a call. Now he knows the drill and he can relax. Patrick and his family are ready to go again anytime.

Patrick never takes anything for granted and tells the staff at the dialysis center how much he appreciates their help and concern. He also has a loyal circle of friends and a very supportive family. He likes to spend time with his young niece and nephew and follow their school sports programs along with the Ohio State teams. Exercise is important to him, particularly walking. This spring along with several other patients, he signed on to Dr. Pintar’s team in the Fort Wayne ‘One Million Miles’ effort. He wears a pedometer and records his steps daily. The treadmill he received from the Shad Ireland Foundation will not only be a great help for the competition but also for all the times when it is too cold or wet to walk outdoors.

The foundation provided Earnest with a Treadmill.

Earnest Jr. was born on May 31st, 1963 in Escambia County, Pensacola, Florida. He is the only child of Margelene and his now deceased father, Earnest Sr. He was raised in Pensacola by his grandparents while his mother went to Cleveland, Ohio to find work.

He attended Brownsville Middle School and for high school, Woodham High School. He graduated from high school in May, 1981. He was also enrolled in JROTC in high school, where he then went to the US Army in November, 1982. He had basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey and attended AIT in Ft.

Jackson, South Carolina in 1983. He was trained to be an Administrative Clerk, which he served for 5 years in the US Army. He also went to Fulda, Germany for a year and a half. He left Germany and proceeded to his next duty station, which was Ft. Myer, Virginia in 1984.

While in the military, he married his current wife, Lillie. They met while both being stationed at Ft. Myer, Virginia.

They have been married for 20 years and 5 children; their oldest daughter is currently in the military, stationed at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Earnest was released from the military in 1987 and lived in Virginia for approximately 6 months. Due to financial constraints, he took his family to live in Cleveland, Ohio, where his mother was currently living.

He worked at several companies in Ohio until he landed a job working at Kaiser Permanente, where he worked for 8 years. He was being treated for high blood pressure his whole life and it became worse in 2003-2004. He was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease in April of 2004. He became permanently disabled as he started dialysis in August of 2004. He goes 3 days a week, 5 hours each day. He is a candidate for a transplant and hopes that at some point this will be possible. It has been a struggle for him and his family, as his wife lost her job 2 years ago and has her own personal struggle as well, being newly diagnosed with diabetes in August of 2005.

Earnest is a strong man and is very family oriented. He and his family attend church as often as possible, have as much family time as they can, and enjoy traveling as much as possible. Earnest enjoys playing lead and bass guitar for his local gospel quartet group, The Fantastic Spriritual Believers. He is a god fearing man and believes that all though life gives you lemons, you just take them and make lemonade. He and his wife have raised 5 children throughout all the struggles, where two of them will be graduating form high school this year, with one going to college hopefully in the fall of 2006.

Jamianne received a gym membership and personal training.

It was October 2003, like so many Friday nights before, I found myself at the local high school football game. Only this night was different, I could barely walk without losing my breath. After going to the doctor, I was started on allergy medicine for what the doctor believed to be allergies and asthma. Things did not change, and shortly thereafter I found myself having to stop and rest in the halls of the high school where I was a senior English teacher for 26 years.

The doctor then sent me to my GYN for an evaluation of my amenia. The thought was internal bleeding. At that appointment I was found to be in kidney failure and rushed to the hospital. It was there, I was told I needed hemodialysis. Being very shocked and scared, my thoughts flashed to my mother who had died of kidney failure. I had thoughts of declining dialysis, but while out of it, I had a vision of my deceased grandmother shaking her head no. I thought of my six year old son, who I knew I needed to raise. I just could not die, so hemodialysis became my life!

I continued to teach for about a year, until it become too much both mentally and physically. Now, almost 4 years later, I have hopes of getting a kidney transplant and resuming my life without dialysis. A beloved friend and former student have agreed to donate her kidney and we were found to be a perfect match. My only problem is I need to lose weight prior to the surgery.

This has been a big challenge! The battle sometimes seems impossible, coupled with the depression that dialysis has brought along with it. It is a daily struggle, but meeting Shad Ireland and knowing that somebody believes in me enough to give me a grant for fitness to aid in my weight loss has been a boost of spirit! My family stands behind me and will cheer me though the challenge ahead.

An update from Jami

Shad,

My first day of exercise with my trainer was outstanding!

I must admit I was apprehensive to the point of fear. Quite honestly, after three years of lounging in bed and watching television my only activity, I did not know what to expect of my body. And that fear, the unknown, can be one of the worst fears to face.

I felt empowered after my training session. Rather than sleep, I took my ten year-old son swimming for two hours.

I have set two goals. The first one is obvious- lose weight so I can be transplanted. The second? I went to play tennis in the Transplant Games next summer.

Thanks for the support and example of true courage. I’m getting my life back!

Jami

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My name is Felicia. I was diagnosed with esrd in January 2005. I am 37 years old and have 2 beautiful children. Meeting Shad was a great thing for me, as I am one of the younger patients and usually never saw anyone close to my own age. I was pretty down. Tired of it all. But it is true, with hope you can live. This program is a wonderful thing and I am proud to be part of it. I have my ups and downs a lot still, but i have so much to look forward to. Trying to live, deal, and accept has helped me. Thanks Shad! Also the great nurses and tech’s at chillicothe regional dialysis

Thorsten received a one year gym membership from the foundation.

My name is Thorsten M. I was born in Germany on April 2, 1966. In 1967 My family and I immigrated to Ashland, Ohio. I grew up in the quiet town of Ashland and loved to play soccer. Unfortunately at the age of 14, I was diagnosed with diabetes. It changed my life forever. I spent 4 weeks in the hospital learning to manage this disease. I had to learn to give myself injections and check for blood sugar in my urine. It is so much easier now with a drop of blood on a test strip.

During the following years my diabetes was never in good control. As a result I had serious eye problems that required wall-to-wall laser surgeries in both eyes. I had a cataract removed and all of the vitreous jelly removed from my left eye. I now wear prescription glasses with bifocals for reading. Reading is one of the things that I enjoy very much.

In the early 90’s, I developed serious back problems and could no longer stand or walk for long periods of time. Because of this I couldn’t work or stay in college. It was also in the mid 90’s that my kidneys were beginning to fail. This meant I could no longer enjoy my favorite pastime of playing and coaching soccer.

My kidneys failed at an alarming rate. My feet and legs became so swollen that I couldn’t wear my shoes and socks. I had to take water pills and wear elastic socks to help keep the water from pooling in my legs and feet. Every day I felt sick and threw up. I could do very few activities. As a result my weight climbed to over 400 lbs. Now I not only had diabetes I also had high blood pressure.

In January 2001 I had a catheter put into my chest and was finally put on dialysis. In February I had surgery to put a fistula in my left upper arm. It took months for it to heal and mature. After the catheter became infected, I was hospitalized and it was removed. That is when we began to use the fistula.

One day my doctor asked me if I would be interested in training for home hemodialysis. The nearest dialysis unit that had a home hemodialysis program was in Marion, Ohio. It is over an hour drive from our home. The other drawback was that my mother would have to perform most of the dialysis responsibilities. She learned to test the water, set up the machine, stick the needles into my fistula, and put me on and monitor me during my run. After the treatment she learned to remove the needles, clamp my sites and put the machine through the cleaning cycles. My mother is in her 60’s and this was difficult for her, but after 4 months 3 times a week we completed our training. We began at home on January 2003.

My fistula was doing its job too well. It was taking the blood flow away from my hand and fingers and causing a lot of pain. The doctor tried to bypass the blood flow to create circulation to my hand but this failed. Eventually they had to tie off the fistula and put a catheter in. Then they put a new fistula in my right arm. It worked well but I had the same problem with stealing of the blood to my hand. Unfortunately, I got a third degree burn on my right ring finger. Because I didn’t have enough blood flow to that finger it didn’t heal. I had to have half of the finger amputated. A new bypass of my fistula was created and it is currently working well without problems.

Currently I am running my treatments incenter because my mother fell and broke her wrist. I will be coming to treatment at Mansfield Kidney Center for at least 4-6 weeks.

I would like to get a kidney transplant but I am not a candidate because of my weight. I have been watching what I eat and drink and have joined a physical work out program. I have lost over 70 pounds and I feel a lot better and I am more mobile. I plan to continue to work to loose more.

My goal is to loose the weight so I can get on the kidney/pancreas transplant list. Then my mother will not have to do my dialysis 3 times a week and I hope that I will be able to coach soccer again.

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Brian received a 1 year gym membership from the foundation.

Hi, I am Brian, I am 38 years old. I was diagnosed 23 years ago, with a condition called post-strep, short for a really long word; I will never be able to spell. I was told that the chance of this ever being a problem would be less than a 5% chance. It took about 20 years, but it did eventually start to cause problems for me. After battling high blood pressure for several years, uncontrollable with meds, I finally succumbed to end stage renal disease. I was no longer able to work, I then began peritoneal dialysis. Then the search was on for a transplant match, it came in the looks of my brother Bart. After just six months of dialysis, I got a transplant. The problems with the transplant started before I ever left the hospital. In all I rejected the kidney 7 times until it finally quit working all together. A total of 2 and a half years, most of which was filled with a lot of misery. I then started back on peritoneal dialysis, up until I needed my gallbladder removed, then they put in a perm cath, so I could do hemo, until my peritoneal cavity healed. That’s when I started doing hemo. After about 4 weeks on hemo, I realized it was the dialysis for me. I am a divorced father of 5 children, struggling intensely to get by. I only have Medicare insurance and a year and a half ago I had a hip replacement, due to too many steroid given to me post transplant, I have never fully recovered my leg strength, and I wish I did so I could go and run with my children and play sports with them again, that is the purpose of this letter. I want to join the area YMCA which I feel will help me to achieve this goal, and some what a little normality, in my not so normal life. Thank you very much for the consideration. Brian

Donna received a Treadmill from the foundation.

My name is Donna. I am 67 years old and have been on dialysis for four and a half years. At first when I started my treatments I thought my life was over. I wouldn’t listen to any advice, or follow ant of the doctors’ or staff’s orders. I just kept thinking my days were numbered. Now I do believe I can live somewhat a normal life. So I have been watching what I eat and following the advice of the staff. I do wish I could start some sort of low impact workout. For me I need a reminder of the need for regular exercise to keep me on track. I feel a treadmill would be perfect for me. I could go at a comfortable speed and wouldn’t have to leave my home. That’s important to me since I don’t like to exercise in front of others. I know I have a spot to put it in my house where I will see it everyday and be the reminder to use it. My husband and I had been talking about starting to save money for one when I became aware of your grant program. Thank you very much for considering me for your program.

Alice received a one year gym membership from the foundation

Three or four days after my son left for boot camp, I was diagnosed with Rectal Cancer. Shortly after completing radiation and chemo therapy, I had a heart attack and my health continued to spiral downward for 8 months. My complications included TTP, Lupus radiation mecrosis of the hips, 2 colon surgeries, several transfusions and plasma phareseas. Eventually liver and kidney failure ( my liver only recovered). The last time I saw Nathan he stood over me in the ICU after the Red Cross called him to pay his final respects. He said, “Mom, I don’t die here, and I won’t die over there.” He is in Iraq. I kept my end of the bargain.

Nancy received a treadmill from the foundation.

I have End Stage Renal Disease due to diabetes. As the disease progressed and my health declined, I was told by my physicians I would be a good candidate for a kidney transplant. And after much research and discussions with my husband, I started the process of being listed. After many tests, many conversations with my insurance company, a lot of patients and waiting, I was listed at the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University Medical Centers. I was told I would have a five to seven year wait due to my blood type. In the mean time my health continued to decline and I began dialysis in March of 2006. Dialysis was not easy. My fistula clotted after three uses. I had a perm cath inserted and another fistula surgery. I continued to work full time while on dialysis. Dialysis was helping but I still did not feel well. I was losing my hair, not able to eat or keep anything down and I was always tired. Someone above was watching over me. After 7 months on dialysis, I got the call from Ohio State University; they had a kidney for me. I told my husband not to get his hopes up, it could be a dry run and I possibly might not get the kidney. We made the four hour drive to Columbus in three hours and I got the kidney! The kidney (I call it Ted) has worked all along- no more dialysis! But the three month recovery period turned into seven months. I had several complications: shortness of breath, CHF, fluid retention, a small hernia and a bowl obstruction. Now with all of these taken care of, I feel almost normal again. I have started back to work. (Then I fell and broke my shoulder, ouch but that will heal) My physicians, Dr. John Dyer and then Dr. Thomas Pintar kept me in good health so I was ready for the call when a kidney was available. It is now up to me to be in good health and be fit and keep the new kidney working. (Of course I still need the help for Dr. Pintar) A treadmill will enable me to get my daily walk in no matter what the Ohio weather throws my way. I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband and family, great physicians and a new kidney. It is now up to me to live the best life.

An update from Nancy

Dear Shad,

It has taken me way to long to say thank you for the treadmill but I must let you know how much I LOVE it! I have been able to maintain my weight since my transplant of almost 2 years ago. Having a treadmill to walk on in the middle of nasty winter weather helps tremendously. My kidney doctor, Dr. Tom Pintar (I believe you know him) recommended your website for inspiration while I was on dialysis. Your story has given me strength to keep going. On days when I wanted to give up, I would say Shad never gave up and look at what he is doing now.So I keep on going. Now Dr. Pintar has asked me to walk in the Fort-4-Fitness walk in Ft. Wayne, IN, in September and if the good Lord is willing, I will be there. I would love to be able to thank you in person for your inspiration and for the treadmill.

Thank you again for the treadmill and continued strength for you and the Foundation.
Nancy

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Selena received an elliptical machine from the foundation.

Selena shared with us that she would like to get an elliptical machine for her home, so she will be able to use it when ever she wants in the comfort of her own home.

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Gerald received fishing equipment from the foundation.

Gerald shared with us that one of his joys was to go fishing and that he would love some new fishing equipment.

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Gary received a gym membership from the foundation.

Gary shared with us that he would love to be able to go to the gym and work out.

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Doris received a gym membership from the foundation.

Doris shared with us that it would be more convenient for her to go to the gym and work out.

Darnell received a gym membership from the foundation.

In December of 07 I developed some very sharp chest pain. Every time I would take a breath I had pain in my chest. I went to the hospital and discovered that I had renal failure. They never found out what caused it. My mother had kidney failure they knew what caused hers so they knew that was not what caused mine. She had a successful transplant 10 years ago. She is living proof that if you just listen to the doctors everything will fall in to place. I have never looked down on what has happened to me. I see myself lucky to be so young because my body heals fast. I am also willing to do what ever my doctors need me to do.