What Would You Do to Save a Life?
THIS IS A SERIOUS PLEA FOR HELP. Think about the title for a moment. This is not a rhetorical question. What WOULD you do? You have probably not given this much thought. I hadn’t either, until recently.
Ed Brachman needs a kidney. I am not asking for yours reader, only asking your assistance in a manner which will impose neither pain nor cost upon you. I am asking you to spread the word in hopes that a living donor will step forward to save my friend Ed’s life. Would you invest a few minutes of your time if you knew that your efforts might find this person? Ed and I know that a willing donor is out there. How good would it make you feel if it turned out that your small effort saved a human life?
I met Ed at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach where we are both volunteers. At 75, from all outward appearances Ed looks vibrant and healthy, but his appearance does not tell the real story. He is suffering from end-stage kidney failure resulting from kidney cancer. His kidneys are no longer filtering waste toxins from his body. Each night at bedtime he connects himself to a home dialysis machine for eight hours. Without this, his body will shut down, resulting in death in approximately 48 hours. Dialysis is “life support” and unfortunately only a temporary solution. It will ultimately will be of no value in sustaining him.
Ed also gets monthly blood work to determine his current health status and readiness for a transplant. These blood samples are monitored by each transplant center and used to assure the highest possible likelihood of a successful transplant in the event that a matching cadaver kidney becomes available. They are also used to adjust his daily medications.
An organ must “match,” on a variety of criteria or the body will reject the transplant. There are many objective and subjective factors involved in a matching organ. There is no one size fits all. It is not a first come-first serve system. Although logical from a medical perspective, it is arguably not necessarily fair. Should a matching kidney become available, Ed must be ready to fly at a moment’s notice.
I could write a volume on the difficulty of procuring a kidney from the transplant list. It is an incredibly complex process. Ed is “wait-listed” with four transplant centers in three states, with a fifth in process. Each has its own separate protocol, requirements, and laboratories. He must “renew” his wait-list status with each center annually, and “prove” that he remains a viable candidate from a physical health and caregiver support perspective, to remain under consideration. Almost any health issue will be considered in his acceptance or denial should an organ become available. This is a catch-22, as a kidney a state of decline can unto itself set off an entire litany of issues including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, etc., any of which may render him ineligible. The average “wait time” to receive a viable kidney transplant from transplant centers is between five and seven years. At age 75, Ed has been waiting over three years. Time is running out for him.
130,000 Americans are now awaiting a kidney transplant and 3,100 are being added each month. The demand for transplantable organs, especially kidneys, dramatically exceeds the supply. 5,000 persons whose situations are similar to Ed’s, die annually waiting for a kidney. I don’t want my friend Ed to become part of that statistic.
Once a successful independent businessman, the time involved in dialysis, and hospital, laboratory, and physician visits, has severely impacted his business. COVID was figuratively speaking, the “last straw.” Additionally, the costs of travel and lodging to transplant centers as far as 1,650 miles away, have strained his finances. Ed has unquestionably taken a very assertive approach in terms of procuring a kidney from a transplant center, but with time working against him, this may no longer be a viable option.
Ed’s best chance of staying alive will be determined by whether he can find a living donor.
Ed refuses to live in the shadows. He has a sign on his car asking for help. He has made videos which are posted online. He has contacted local radio and TV stations and newspapers in search of exposure. He can be seen at events throughout the south Florida area holding up his sign and passing out flyers. He wears his “I need a kidney” shirt and hat everywhere he goes. His requests are on clubhouse, gymnasium, and supermarket bulletin boards throughout southeast Florida. His strength and determination amaze me. He is in front of the public in some fashion every single day seeking a donor.
Ed will not give up. He is the ultimate definition of 7 by 24 by 365. I have never heard him say “why me” or complain in any way. He is a tower of strength, hope, and optimism. Despite his situation he is thankful for so many things. Ed has my total admiration.
Ed and I are asking for your help. We will accept and appreciate any assistance that you can offer. Perhaps you are skilled in the social media area? If so, we ask you to post this request and any of the information, videos, images, etc. that are provided below on the sites that you subscribe to. Social media is a powerful force. We need serious help in this area. If you have web skills, we desperately need someone to set up a web site.
If you are involved with any religious organization, please ask if they will “spread the word” or get involved. If you are a member of the Lions, Rotary, VFW, Elks, Knights of Columbus, the Shriner’s, Chamber of Commerce, or any of the many organizations of this type, please spread the word there. Would your Boy or Girl Scout troop want to take assisting us on as a project? Would your children’s school find this an educating and valuable project? Again, any assistance would be appreciated. You CAN make a difference.
Before the days of social media, there was the “chain letter” Do you remember it? It asked everyone receiving a communication to pass it on and ask that person to do the same. If done correctly it can provide massive exposure. Will you participate in a chain letter? We ask you to forward this plea to every email contact in your address book, and request that each recipient do the same.
Ed loves to bicycle, walk, ballroom dance, volunteer, and help others. With each passing day, these activities that bring him happiness become more difficult. He is a wonderful and giving person and a good friend, and like you and I, deserves to live a full natural life. In his own words “I still have things to do and promises to keep.”
Please take a moment to meet Ed through two short clips by clicking here, and here. In these videos Ed tells his story far better than anything I write ever could.
I have lost many close friends to cancer and I don’t want to add my friend Ed to the list. From the bottom of my heart, I ask you to help Ed.
Please forward this plea to every email contact in your address book, and request that each recipient do the same.
Should you need any further information or are willing to assist us, please contact Ed directly at ebrachman@yahoo.com.
Howard Axelrod is a travel photographer, writer, and former high technology executive. He has photographed in 85 countries on six continents. He is a resident of Ashland, Massachusetts and Delray Beach, FL. Howard can be reached at highwind@verizon.net.
