A serious medical issue has made life a challenge for Lynn Kava of Freehold Township, but she has maintained a positive outlook as she searches for a living kidney donor.
Kava, 54, was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease in 2010. Biopsies performed in 2010 and 2013 led to a diagnosis of interstitial nephritis, i.e., an inflammation of the spaces between renal tubules.
The inflammation was caused by an auto immune disease known as Sarcoidosis, which is a multi-system disease that causes inflammation of the body and inflammation of the tubules.
In 2014, a decreasing level of kidney function put Kava on a regimen of dialysis that requires her go for the procedure three evenings a week for two hours and 45 minutes each session. Today, she has one kidney that is non-functioning and one kidney that functions at 14 percent.
For the past two years, Kava, who is a 1981 graduate of East Brunswick High School, has actively been seeking a living kidney donor. For a variety of reasons, no one in her family is a suitable match.
Kava, who works part-time as a school bus aide, is reaching out and attempting to network with anyone who may be able to provide her with a kidney that could mean a healthier life and the end of the dialysis treatments.
She said a paired kidney exchange program offers the prospect of widening the net for a potential donor.
“I was in denial for awhile,” Kava said, recalling the time when the issues manifested themselves. “I managed to stay off dialysis for three years. I don’t want to be on dialysis for the rest of my life. I’m going to be 55. I want to live my life.”
A kidney donor can be male or female, of any ethnicity, and within a wide age range, according to Kava, who has become well educated about issues that affect her health.
She said an individual who donates a kidney to her would undergo a laproscopic procedure, while she would undergo major surgery to complete the transplant.
Kava and I share one thing in common, as I, too, have dealt with a kidney issue for a number of years, although nowhere near the level she deals with every day. Her search for the person who can provide her with the gift of a healthier life hits close to home for me.
Anyone who would like to reach out to Kava may email me at [email protected] and I will forward those responses to her.
Somewhere out there, the person Kava is searching for is waiting to be identified. It would mean everything to her to find that person and to make the connection that would be the life-changing moment she is trying so hard to find.
Mark Rosman is a managing editor with Newspaper Media Group. He may be reached by email at [email protected]