WAYNE COUNTY – Loved ones of 68-year-old Ed Nyberg are handing out flyers, putting up yard signs, and posting at local businesses in hopes of finding a living kidney donor who could save his life.
Nyberg, recently retired from a career at General Motors, learned he has Stage 5 kidney failure and is down to 9% kidney function.
If his kidney function drops further, he will need to start dialysis.
“It’s like a wall hits you. All of a sudden, they tell you you’re sick and that you might need a kidney transplant,” Nyberg said.
Nyberg is on the transplant registry for a deceased donor kidney, but the wait can stretch five years or longer, a time they worry he may not have.
The delays can also make everyday plans, including travel, uncertain.
“We like traveling, we have a camper, some of that stuff is going to come to a stop because we can’t just go to a clinic anywhere,” Nyberg said.
Arianna Wilson, Nyberg’s granddaughter, said the family is trying to reach as many people as possible as she looks ahead to major life moments.
“With a lot of milestones for me coming up, like going to college and all of this stuff, I just could never imagine him not being able to be the person to help me with all those things,” said Wilson.
“He always has been the strong guy that does anything, can do anything, so it’s just taken a toll on him now,” said Nyberg’s daughter, Melissa Wilson.
The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan says more than 2,300 people in the state are currently waiting for a transplant.
Silas Norman, the organization’s board chair, said Michigan has protections intended to reduce financial barriers to living donation.
“All medical costs are absorbed by the transplant center,” Norman said. “For non-medical costs, there are a number of programs to help offset travel, lost work time, transportation costs here in Michigan.”
Michigan also offers a one-time tax credit of up to $10,000 for organ donors.
Nyberg’s wife, Joann Nyberg, said the family hopes someone will consider being tested.
“You can lead a very healthy, normal life and give a normal life to someone like Ed who’s in desperate need,” Joann said.
What to know about living kidney donation
Living kidney donation allows a healthy person to donate one kidney, with the remaining kidney typically able to do the work needed for normal life.
Transplant centers carefully screen potential donors through blood and tissue testing, health history reviews, and additional medical evaluations to determine whether donation is safe for the donor and a match for the recipient.
Kidneys from living donors often begin working quickly after transplant and can last longer on average than kidneys from deceased donors, according to transplant experts. Living donation can also shorten the time a recipient spends waiting, and, in some cases, help people avoid starting dialysis or reduce the time they need it.
Potential donors who are not a direct match may still be able to help through paired exchange programs, in which donor-recipient pairs are matched with others so multiple transplants can happen.
Nyberg’s transplant ambassador, Brandon Hays with University of Michigan Health, can be reached at bhays@givetolivehealth.com or 734-219-9240.