A Kidney for Sky

When the Dr tells you you need a new hip, you may as well stand out in the crowd!

Sky and Shiyanne 2003.
Sometimes we can’t acknowledge things on their anniversary. The pain is just too strong. Most times the feelings come on other days. This time they came on that fateful day. The day she closed her eyes forever. In light of what’s going on with Sky, it’s made that memory much more poignant. I’m not ready for my children to meet. So I love them all when and how I can. And I hope and pray for the best.

Dear friends and family:

This is a letter we never thought we would need to write. Yet, here we are.

As you know, Sky has always been a healthy, active, adventurous person. Traveling the country from Mesa Verde, to Alaska, to exploring on a 3 month cross-country bicycle trip from Yorktown, VA to Seattle, WA. But never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that silently lurking was a deadly disorder that would swiftly rear its head and change the course of his life.

Sky was seemingly healthy one day, and after a bout of what we thought was food poisoning, we quickly learned that it was something much more serious, much more dangerous, and much more lethal. After his doctor discovered a blood pressure of 190/130 (140/90 is considered high blood pressure), Sky was immediately hospitalized, and over the course of the next 9 days he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Kidney Failure. This means that Sky’s kidney function has decreased to about 18% of yours or mine. His kidneys are nearing the end of their functioning. Eventually after having lost weight and his athletic stamina, Sky was discharged with a new diet plan and on 7 medications, including one that made his hands quake.

But with all of these changes to him, we know that there may still be hope. Hope in the form of a new kidney. A kidney that will give Sky a new lease on life. Though some people go on dialysis or the deceased organ donor list, we have been encouraged to seek a living kidney donor.

Here are just a few of the reasons Sky’s doctor at Tuft’s considers this the best option:
● The wait for a deceased donor kidney is 6-8 years. His estimated kidney function is about 1 year.
● A kidney from a living donor has the potential to last on average about twice as long as a kidney from a deceased donor.
● With a transplant, we may be able to keep Sky from undergoing more medical procedures by going on dialysis.

As you might imagine, Sky is anxious about all this. He’s not a big fan of “medical” conversations. He may not choose to talk to you about this, but certainly feel free to reach out to us via e-mail or cell phone or through the page. We certainly have more information that we can provide to you.

In the meantime, positive thoughts and prayers are welcome. We appreciate your taking time to learn more.

All the best,
Joy Smith

Like us on Facebook: A Kidney for Sky
Email: [email protected]
Questionnaire: www.livingdonortufts.org Please use Sky’s name, Tecumseh Blanchet, when prompted.

Tufts Transplant

As many of you know my son has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Kidney Failure. For those who didn’t know, I’ll just say that it was sudden, unexpected and earth shattering. I will explain in another post what happened and when we found out. But for now his most immediate need is spreading the word that he needs a Kidney Donor to step forward and save his life. If you’ve ever considered being an organ donor, or know someone who might want to help, please go to www.livingdonortufts.org to fill out the questionnaire. There is no commitment and the questionnaire is anonymous. You need to use his legal name Tecumseh Blanchet on one of the questions.
If donation is not something for you, please consider sharing this post with your friends and family so that we may reach more people.
If you have Any questions, please PM me at any time!

Tufts Transplant

Life is a journey, life is but a single moment in the grand scheme of things, but life is what it is. And while some of us may go through life never glancing back for a second look others will be thrown for the ride of their life, and for Sky and his family this is the unfortunate story. Throughout his life Sky was a seemingly heathy young man, and although he and his family faced hardships early in life that never stopped him from going the distance. For Sky’s mother, she never could imagine in her wildest dreams that her baby boy, who seemed more than healthy, would end up needing a kidney transplant to live; unfortunately like so many Americans this has become her reality. The week started off like every other for Sky and his family but this is one week that would end in misfortune. After a simple trip to the Doctor for what one would think was food poising would turn out to be a deadly disease ravishing Sky’s body and would lead to the diagnosis of Stage 4 Kidney Failure. As you read this you may be asking, what can I do to help? Well the answer is simple. You can be the match! You can be the donor that Sky and his family are looking for. If you are 18 years or older and are blood type O, please visit www.livingdonortufts.org to get started to see if you’re a match! This short questionnaire is the first step in the process. It’s anonymous and there is no commitment to move forward beyond the questionnaire. Make sure to use Sky’s full name on the form, Tecumseh Blanchet. And please forward and share this information with anyone you think may want to help.

Tufts Transplant