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Patient describes what waiting for a kidney means
Ever thought about being an organ donor?
Peyton Marie Krider, who lives in Vigo County, hopes you have, and you will consider taking a confidential health history survey (www.mayoclinic.org/livingdonor) about the prospect of becoming a living kidney or liver donor at the Mayo Clinic.
“Sending prayers to people experiencing health problems is good, but I hope that people will try and see if they can donate an organ to help someone live a longer life,” said Peyton, who is on the transplant list. “Every time I go to the hospital I always hope that someone will donate a kidney for me.”
Peyton is one of more than 100,000 people in the United States currently on a waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant, and approximately another name is added to the list every 10 minutes. In early 2019, Peyton went on the transplant list due to stage 5 renal failure.
Doctors say Peyton actually needs two transplants, a heart, and a kidney, due to the illness that affects the mitochondria — the tiny energy factories found inside almost all the cells. This explains why the 22-year-old is tired all the time.
As a result of the inherited disease (that passes from mother to daughter), Peyton looks very young for her age, being short and thin.
Sheri Kelley, Peyton’s mother, said that is why she is always being served as a child and is often carded at restaurants when the family goes out.
Peyton attended Northview High School from 2014 to 2016 and was doing well. However, she got sick with an illness that seemed to be a mystery to doctors for an extended period of time, until she was correctly diagnosed.
Besides weakness and fatigue, Peyton experiences chronic nausea and vomiting that is causing weight loss due to gastroparesis.
That is why the protective mother says if her daughter mentions Subway, she gets Subway.
“It might be the only meal she is able to eat for days or weeks,” said Sheri, who confirms all of Peyton’s dietary needs, like food and liquids, are monitored. “If she wants it, I will get it for her.”
However, Peyton is quick to say what her favorite food is.
“If there was something I could eat every day, if I could eat it, it would be Chick-Fil-A,” she said with a smile.
Peyton’s recently experienced hearing loss and there are days when she has cognitive issues with forgetfulness and staying focused as well as feeling out of balance.
Dialysis, the purification of blood through the use of a machine as a substitute for the normal kidney function, helps Peyton feel better, think clearer. However, going five times a week is very taxing for Peyton.
“Many people can live well on dialysis for many years, but not many go five times a week,” said Sheri.
It is a situation that comes with a lot of anxiety for Peyton.
“The worst part is when I can’t breathe, that’s where I get scared,” said Peyton about when fluids build up in her lungs. “It feels like everything is closing in on me, and, I hate to say it, but it feels like death to me.”
Peyton enjoyed volunteering and spending time with patients in Hospice, until recently when the dialysis schedule made it too difficult.
“I could identify with them and relate to what they were going through,” said Peyton, who admitted she developed special relationships with several patients who didn’t have family members. “Some of them called me their actual grandchild because they didn’t have anyone, and I looked like a child.”
On most days, staying at home and being around family is all that Peyton has the energy to do, but she admits she loves to go out and do things. Even the trips to the Mayo Clinic can be fun for Peyton, who enjoys traveling, riding in the car, shopping - anything to get out of the house.
“But I don’t have any energy at all. There are days when I just want to lie around,” said Peyton, who loves her family and enjoys spending time with them. “I hate going to the hospital. Every time (when my mother) tells me I am going, I fight it. I get scared because I don’t know what is going to happen.”
Peyton would like to live a normal, productive life, and feels that she has a lot to offer the future. She credits her support system for the positive attitude she is able to project. She is grateful to the doctors who have shown her so much respect and compassion in the past four years.
“If people were in the same shoes as me, they would want the same things I do,” said Peyton, whose kidneys are not functioning now. “I know it’s a scary thing to do, donating a kidney, being a live donor.”
There are family members who might potentially be a match, including Peyton’s younger sister, who at this time has no signs of the disease. However, the disease is genetically passed from mother to daughter and there is no way to determine if the transplant would work.
“If she could get a kidney transplant, it would help so much,” said Sheri, who says doctors explained the new kidney would help revitalize (but not fix) Peyton’s organs.
“I really wish more people would be willing to step up and try to be tested to see if they could donate an organ to anyone,” said Peyton, who tries to remain hopeful. “Sadly my time is coming to an end. Everything is getting worse for me. It’s not just about saving my life. But if a person is tested and they match someone else, they can help someone else live a normal life, which is a miracle for someone. That is the best that I could hope for. It would save someone’s life.”
However, if someone proved to be a match for Peyton, she’s not going to turn down the opportunity.
“I wish there was more people out there willing to test,” said Peyton.
Follow Peyton Krider’s story on Facebook at #Akidney4Peyton.