GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Jennifer VanderPoel thought she’d exhausted her pool of potential kidney donors.
Sitting on her lounge sofa in Grand Rapids, the bubbly mother, spouse and former assistant professor had no concept she was about to study in any other case.
It was Dec. 6, 2023, and VanderPoel was speaking to Information 8 about her seek for a residing kidney donor.
“The most recent one was my hairdresser’s boyfriend,” VanderPoel said of the candidates who stepped up. “Then, at the very last minute, they found that his kidney function wasn’t quite normal enough to donate.”
It wasn’t the primary time VanderPoel had a possible donor fall via.
Six occasions during the last three years she had transplants scheduled, she mentioned, solely to be canceled attributable to diseases and, in a single case, a surgeon’s last-minute journey.
There was a cadaver kidney headed VanderPoel’s approach at one level too, till she examined constructive for COVID.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs for me,” mentioned VanderPoel. “I’m just trying to pray and hold on and know that there’s a plan for me, that someday I’ll get a kidney and can go on living, having a life.”
For 5 years, VanderPoel’s title has languished amongst greater than 2,000 others on Michigan’s cadaver kidney waitlist.
DIALYSIS: SEVEN HOURS, THREE TIMES A WEEK
For 4 years, dialysis has dominated — and saved — her life.
“When your kidneys don’t function, you don’t live unless you have a means to filter out some of the toxins that build up in your bloodstream,” mentioned VanderPoel, including that she’s restricted to ingesting 30 ounces of liquid each 24 hours.
VanderPoel selected a nocturnal dialysis shift, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
For seven, principally in a single day, hours thrice per week, she’s hooked to a machine, surrounded by snaking tubes.
A courtesy photograph of Jennifer VanderPoel along with her caregiver workforce at DaVita East going via dialysis for the final time.
“The way you get hooked up so large volumes of blood can get cleaned, you can’t have too tiny of a needle, or it would clot up and nothing would happen,” defined VanderPoel. “It’s a big old needle going in so it’s not comfortable. It’s like a double-edged sword. It’s horrible, but it’s keeping me alive.”
It’s additionally maintaining her from being the spouse, mother and assistant professor she as soon as was, mentioned VanderPoel.
When she will get dwelling from dialysis within the early morning hours thrice per week, she might sleep for twenty-four and even 32 hours.
“Just exhausted. Just utterly completely exhausted,” she mentioned. “Sometimes, I can’t even get out of bed … meaning I didn’t see my husband or my daughter for days at a time. They would come to the room and see that I was sleeping and wasn’t able to wake up. My daughter doesn’t remember what I was like; the mom I used to be.”
VanderPoel informed Information 8 that her kidney failure was attributable to lupus, an autoimmune illness identified when she was 13.
She’s had a transplant earlier than; in 2009, her aunt gave her a kidney that lasted 12 years.
However this time round, dialysis — and the seek for a kidney — have confirmed a lot more durable.
“I’ve just exhausted the people that we know and are willing to donate,” mentioned VanderPoel. “I’m just trying to maintain my faith, that everything happens for a reason. But on the other hand, you know, every year it looks bleaker and bleaker, right?”
However that was about to alter.
The day earlier than the interview, a Grand Rapids lady who didn’t even know Jennifer VanderPoel had donated a kidney on her behalf.
A STRANGER WITH A SPARE KIDNEY
Teresa Weakley isn’t one to disregard a intestine intuition.
“I trust those feelings,” mentioned Weakley throughout an interview at WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, the place she’s one-half of the Dawn anchor workforce. “When I get an idea in my head, I usually just do it. You can ask (my husband). It’s probably very frustrating sometimes.”
This time, the seeds have been planted throughout an change between two mothers in a venue unknown for dialog depth.
“I was at Chuck E. Cheese, sitting with my friend whose husband had tried to donate (a kidney) to Jennifer,” recalled Weakley. “And she was telling me why he couldn’t.”
It was February 2023.
Teresa Weakley along with her husband and their 4 youngsters, on the point of rejoice the vacations.
“That conversation, it just stayed with me,” mentioned Weakley. “And the feeling that I should see if I can be the person who helps.”
She didn’t know Jennifer VanderPoel, although she’d heard her title in social circles.
“I thought, I’ve known people before who’ve needed kidneys and never had the urge to donate mine,” Weakley relayed. “This feeling must be for a reason.”
Weakley situated VanderPoel’s donor search webpage.
“I’m a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and like you, I’m many other things in this crazy, beautiful life,” wrote VanderPoel, who was 48 on the time. “I very much want to be here for my daughter, to see her graduate, to see her go to college and fulfill her dreams.”
There was one thing else that caught Weakley’s eye too; VanderPoel’s battle with lupus.
“That’s part of what hooked me, I suppose,” Weakley mentioned. “My grandmother had lupus, and she died essentially because of lupus.”
Weakley was simply six months outdated when her grandmother died.
“Everyone always talks about what an amazing woman she was,” mentioned Weakley, who grew up underneath tumultuous circumstances. “I’ve wondered in the past, what would it have been like if my grandmother were in our lives? She’s someone I wish I had known.”
The lupus connection struck Weakley.
“Thinking if you could give someone the time that you didn’t have with a loved one, you know?” she defined.
Inside days of the Chuck E. Cheese dialog, Weakley sought an analysis on the Trinity Well being Kidney Transplant Heart in Grand Rapids.
However when assessments confirmed she wasn’t a very good match for VanderPoel, Weakley figured she’d hit a dead-end.
She was improper.
NOT A MATCH? NOT A PROBLEM
“At that point, they said, ‘but you do have other options,’” Weakley recalled.
A type of choices, the voucher program, removes limitations to compatibility by matching better-suited residing donors with recipients via a nationwide database maintained by the Nationwide Kidney Registry.
Weakley would give a kidney, to not VanderPoel, however to a suitable stranger someplace in the US.
In return, VanderPoel would obtain a voucher good for a kidney from one other stranger who’s a greater match for her, and who possible donated on behalf of a liked one they didn’t match.
“It could be their age or their size difference, or it could be that their blood type doesn’t match,” defined Trinity Well being donor coordinator Sara DeRooy in an interview with Information 8. “So, their kidney goes to somebody else across the US, and then their recipient will receive a living donor kidney from somebody that matches them through the US.”
BECOME A DONOR
In 2020, Trinity Well being turned the one grownup transplant program in Michigan to associate with the Nationwide Kidney Registry.
“It’s such a big program,” DeRooy mentioned of NKR, which facilitates 26% of the nation’s residing donor transplants, based on a 2024 report. “It really has been a great blessing to our program and given us a lot more opportunities.”
Weakley had by no means heard of the voucher program.
“The barrier is always, ‘Oh, I’m not a match,’” famous Weakley. “(But) you don’t have to be. You can donate for someone without donating to them, and if more people knew that it might change things for people who need kidneys.”
Study concerning the Nationwide Kidney Registry’s voucher program
That’s Weakley’s aim in sharing her journey: She needs to unfold the phrase concerning the voucher program. She didn’t, nevertheless, need Jennifer VanderPoel to know that she was contemplating donating on her behalf.
“Well, up to this point, I wouldn’t want to give her false hope,” defined Weakley throughout an interview in November 2023. “Like, if this doesn’t work. If there’s something that stops it from happening.”
Over 10 months, Trinity Well being’s Kidney Transplant Heart assessed Weakley’s health to donate, evaluating her via intensive testing: medical, bodily and psychological.
All through the method, the middle repeatedly reminded her that she may again out at any level for any cause, Weakley famous.
Whereas donating a kidney has not been proven to limit bodily skill long-term nor cut back life expectancy, no surgical procedure is with out danger.
The potential for hurt was not misplaced on Teresa’s husband, Joe.
“What did I think when she first asked me?” he mentioned in a November 2023 interview. “I was like, ‘Are you crazy?’ I mean, really, my first response was probably silence, and my eyes were huge. I mean, we don’t need to introduce this to our life right now. We don’t need to do this.”
Joe and Teresa each work full-time. In addition they have 4 youngsters, ages three to 12.
‘WHAT ARE WE ON THIS EARTH FOR?’
“We had conversations that were spirited,” Joe recalled. “But I think we came to an understanding of why this is good for our family, why she wants to do it. She gets to help not one, but two people, ultimately. That’s why she’s doing this, at the core, to help someone else. I mean, what are we on this earth for? What greater example for our kids, right?”
Simply after 5:30 the morning of Dec. 5, 2023, Joe was leaning over a hospital mattress, hugging his spouse earlier than she was wheeled off to the OR to donate a kidney.
“Love you,” mentioned Joe.
“Love you too,” Weakley responded. “See you all on the other side.”
The surgeon had deliberate to take away Weakley’s kidney laparoscopically, which is minimally invasive with small incisions.
However Weakley’s elimination finally required open stomach surgical procedure.
She would recuperate absolutely, however she stayed within the hospital somewhat longer – three days as an alternative of 1 or two – adopted by the usual six-week restoration at dwelling.
There was no relaxation for Weakley’s kidney although; a courier picked up a cardboard field minutes after the elimination.
“Is this a left or right?” requested the courier, Louis Schaefer of Grand Rapids.
“Left,” workers responded.
“Wonderful, great,” Schaefer mentioned. “And it’s in wet ice?”
Schaefer drove Weakley’s kidney to O’Hare airport in Chicago, and from there it was flown to a transplant heart in Seattle, Washington.
Weakley was later informed her kidney went to a lady, and as soon as transplanted, started producing urine instantly.
Three days after surgical procedure, Weakley’s husband recorded an interview in her hospital room.
“How do you feel right now? How’s the recovery been?” requested Joe.
“The first few days were really hard,” mentioned Weakley. “But I feel a ton better today.”
We checked in along with her later at dwelling.
“This is a week and a day out, and I’m feeling really good,” mentioned Weakley.
When requested if she regretted the surgical procedure, she responded, “No, not even a tiny bit.”
The day after Weakley’s surgical procedure, Information 8 sat down with Jennifer VanderPoel at her dwelling in Grand Rapids.
VanderPoel, it turned out, knew that somebody was contemplating donating anonymously to safe a voucher for her; Trinity Well being had notified her two months earlier.
However VanderPoel and her husband hadn’t shared that information with anybody, not even their daughter.
“I didn’t want to jinx it,” defined VanderPoel. “I didn’t want to have everybody be so excited and then be let down if something happens. Just because they want to donate doesn’t mean that they can. There are so many hoops they have to go through.”
It was at that time that we shared the current growth.
‘JENNIFER, SHE ALREADY DID IT.’
“Jennifer, she already did it,” mentioned Information 8 reporter Susan Samples.
“Oh! OK! OK,” mentioned VanderPoel, her eyes filling with tears. “You should have told me to have Kleenexes out here! Is she okay? How is she doing? Oh my gosh. My daughter’s coming home from college today and this is, oh, I’m sorry. This is such a … It means that I will be getting a kidney. It’s so surreal right now. Hearing that.”
VanderPoel struggled to articulate her gratitude.
“I really can’t put into words how thankful I am for this gift of life, and for giving me the chance to be a wife and a partner and, most importantly, a mother again,” exclaimed VanderPoel. “Words will never express how meaningful, how thankful I am for this gift of life. This opportunity to have a life again, to live.”
Jennifer finds out {that a} kidney has been donated on her behalf.
However, Jennifer’s exuberance was tempered by the information that discovering a suitable kidney for her can be no straightforward job.
Later, at Trinity Well being’s Kidney Transplant Heart, Dr. Joel Stracke defined why.
“With her previous transplant, she’s been exposed to other tissues that create antibodies in our blood system and those antibodies then attack foreign tissue,” defined Stracke. “To find her a good match was difficult because of the exposure that she’s had in the past.”
Certainly, two occasions over six months, the Nationwide Kidney Registry recognized potential kidneys for VanderPoel, and surgical procedure dates have been set solely to be canceled when last bloodwork predicted VanderPoel’s physique would reject them.
Residing kidney donations have greater success charges than deceased kidney donations.
“But with the National Kidney Registry we are open to a lot of donors throughout the country,” continued Stracke, “so we finally found that match for her and it ended up being a good match. It took a while, but we got there.”
A KIDNEY FOR JENNIFER
Ten months after Teresa Weakley gave up a kidney, VanderPoel acquired one, redeeming her voucher.
“I’m so thankful to the donor,” mentioned Tom Heft, VanderPoel’s dad. “(Jennifer’s) mom passed away in January, and she feels like she’s influencing this up there, getting her a kidney. I haven’t been this elated since I don’t know when. For me, she’s always been a perfect daughter, and now I’m still gonna have her.”
VanderPoel’s aunt, Mary Little, who gave her a kidney in 2009, mentioned Jennifer has at all times been a vivid gentle.
“Just always stayed positive knowing (the transplant) was going to happen,” mentioned Little. “She’s like, ‘Don’t get down, it’s going to happen.’ She’s building everybody else up while we’re trying to keep her going. … She’s just a very special person. Not just to us, but to everyone who meets her.”
Jennifer’s donor’s title is Kelly, and he or she’s a nurse from Washington. The 59-year-old donated on the Mayo Clinic Transplant Program in Phoenix to earn a voucher for a liked one she didn’t match.
By way of the transplant facilities in Grand Rapids and Phoenix, Information 8 contacted Kelly, who despatched a message for VanderPoel through electronic mail.
“I find myself thinking about you each day,” wrote Kelly. “Even during the final crossmatch, I hoped nothing would change as I knew you were a special case, and may not find a match very easily. … I hope that you are doing well in your recovery and I hope your new kidney is functioning well. I am very thankful I could donate to you, and I hope you can be out doing what you love most in this world. I wish you only the best, and many years of good health to come.”
A courtesy photograph of Kelly surrounded by her youngsters. Her kidney went to Jennifer VanderPoel.
A courtesy photograph of Kelly along with her husband.
A courtesy photograph of Kelly, a nurse in Washington, donated a kidney via the voucher program to assist a liked one which she wasn’t a match for.
Kelly went on to encourage others to think about donating.
“Organ donation is not something people generally think about until it affects someone they know or love,” she wrote. “There are programs out there that help alleviate the burden of lost wages, and money spent to travel to a transplant center if you are donating far from your home. I felt very informed and cared for by the transplant team (at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix), and if you think this is something you would like to do, please reach out to your local transplant center to see if you qualify to become a donor. There are so many people in need.”
In hopes of attracting extra residing donors, extra sources have gotten out there.
Based in 2007, NKR has facilitated almost 10,000 residing donor transplants, matching donors and recipients via its kidney registry. The nonprofit additionally operates Donor Defend, which reimburses donors for misplaced wages and journey prices, amongst different advantages.
“In the unlikely event that a National Kidney Registry donor ever needs a kidney transplant,” wrote NKR on its website, “the living donor assistance offered by Donor Shield includes prioritization for a living donor kidney transplant through NKR.”
Michigan not too long ago made residing organ donation extra enticing by offsetting any prices incurred with a one-time $10,000 tax credit score. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Home Invoice 4361 into regulation in mid-November.
ON THE ROAD TO RECLAIMING A FULL LIFE
Six weeks after VanderPoel’s transplant, Information 8 checked in along with her over Zoom; she’s nonetheless in quarantine whereas her immune system is suppressed to stop rejection.
“This gift of life has been such a miracle,” mentioned VanderPoel. “The day I got home from the hospital I had so much energy. I was cooking and cleaning.”
Information 8 had one last shock for VanderPoel. Her two donors, Kelly and Teresa, had joined the Zoom.
“Oh! Kelly!” squealed VanderPoel.
“It makes me so happy to hear that you’re doing so well,” mentioned Kelly.
“You are such a blessing,” VanderPoel informed her. “You have no idea. You gave me literal life … I can’t believe I’m talking to you.”
She was grateful, too, to Weakley, her voucher donor.
Teresa Weakley and her husband, Joe, with Jennifer’s aunt, uncle and pop after discovering she was the donor who made Jennifer’s transplant potential.
“So, you started this, Teresa,” mentioned VanderPoel, “and Kelly finished it. The two of you! I wouldn’t be here much longer if it weren’t for you guys. I was just really struggling with dialysis. My blood pressure was so low … and it wasn’t sustainable.”
Weakley talked about the voucher program, and the necessity to increase consciousness about it.
“I had never heard of the voucher system before,” mentioned Weakley. “I didn’t know you could donate and put people to the top of the list. I felt like people should know that if they have someone they want to help.”
Discover out for those who’re certified to donate
She additionally identified that VanderPoel’s donor, Kelly, was from Washington, as was Weakley’s recipient, who selected to stay nameless.
“It’s wild to me, this circle from Washington to Grand Rapids,” mentioned Weakley.
“Yeah, what are the odds that your recipient was also in the state of Washington,” remarked VanderPoel.
Nationwide Kidney Registry Member Facilities Map
Map of the Nationwide Kidney Registry’s member facilities.
All three girls plan to remain in contact and hope the connection they constructed will encourage others to think about donating too.
“I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season,” mentioned Kelly.
“This is good news to share before Christmas,” added Weakley.
“Lots and lots to be thankful for,” mentioned VanderPoel. “And now I can say the names of the donors!”
