It's a long slow wait on kidney list

Let me tell you a little about my wife.

Deb Kamlot-Wright is the mother of two successful sons. She works with HCA Florida Citrus Hospital and is well-respected by her colleagues. Deb’s the proud mom of a little puppy named Max. She loves Jesus. And last July, Deb turned 60.

She also needs a kidney transplant, or her life will be cut short.

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Deb started dialysis in May. She does the home version — peritoneal dialysis. Each night she gets “hooked up” and a machine fills her belly with solution, then removes it. Then it repeats the process. A machine does what her kidneys are supposed to do.

I don’t understand any of it. Seriously, not a word. Medical stuff is not my specialty. 

I just know Deb is suffering. And she’s doing it on her own.

I’ve shared some of this before, and most of our friends know the situation. Deb also cleared the blog ahead of time. We hope none of it is in bad taste. 

Our fairy tale marriage hit a roadblock a few years back and hasn’t recovered. The details are insignificant. It doesn’t change that she’s my Deb, and I’m her Mike. We have strong love and respect for one another. We talk nearly every day by phone or text. We’re handling the situation the best we can.

This kidney disease business…man, that’s tough stuff. All I know is through Deb’s experiences. That poor woman suffered sickness after sickness, drinking nearly a case of water a day. She tried all she could to avoid dialysis; we continued to pray for a miracle cure.

Finally in May, the doctors said no more waiting.

March is National Kidney Awareness Month. Deb and I decided to open up our lives like this because it IS so serious. We both agreed it’s worth a little personal exposure.

There are about 106,000 people on the national kidney transplant wait list. In Florida, it’s about 4,000. I couldn’t find Citrus County numbers, but the law of averages would suggest at least 20 or 30.

I mentioned the other day that I’d be on this topic today, and invited anyone else on the waiting list to let me know and I’d include them in the blog. Three friends replied: Lisa Cino, Tony Collins, and Kay Torcuator. Their contact info is below.

Before I embarrass myself as someone who has a clue how any of this works, please check out the National Kidney Foundation website for all the details.

The kidney folks encourage their waiting list patients to get the word out. While the normal wait is three to five years, the time span can shorten greatly by spreading the word.

There’s even a suggested script (I filled in the details):

“As some of you may know, my wife Deb was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure and she is in need of a transplant. Deb is waiting for a kidney on the national wait list but with so many people in dire need of organs, it can take years to get one. A living donor could save her life. She has been on dialysis for nearly a year, a treatment that she requires daily in order to survive. She can’t travel or have the energy to do everyday tasks. I want her to be healthy again and a transplant will help to do that.”

It then concludes: “If you or someone you know is interested in becoming Deb’s living donor, please call 727-588-5837, or visit this website.”

I don’t have an answer here, or even a pick-me-up. I’m helpless for Deb, Kay, Tony, Lisa, and our other Citrus County neighbors who wait on a transplant. So, here’s what we do:

Share and support. Reach out so folks know they’re not alone:

• Deb Kamlot-Wright: [email protected]; here’s her Facebook page.
• Tony Collins (he’s been on dialysis for 20 years):  [email protected].
• Kay Torcuator: [email protected]; here's her Facebook page.
• Lisa Cino: [email protected]

If readers know of others in Citrus County on the kidney transplant list, please include them in your comments.

Look. We push a lot of community at Just Wright Citrus, and I’m a pretty upbeat guy when it comes to our potential. Sometimes, though, I simply have nothing but words.

I love my Deb. Please, if you can, consider helping her.

​And let's pray for all those who suffer from this terrible disease.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

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