KHAKY helps kidney disease patients

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Hundreds of kidney disease patients in Kentucky are waiting for a life-saving call from a transplant team, saying a match has been found.  When it happens, the Kidney Health Alliance of Kentucky (KHAKY,) wants to make sure patients are ready for surgery, and they’re making it happen with support from “United Way of the Bluegrass.”

For Javier Hernandez, the path of life is a tricky one to walk.  Hernandez desperately needs a life-saving transplant.

“I feel sad.  I don’t want to die,” says Hernandez, who adds, “It’s hard when you’re waiting for a long time.”

Hernandez worked hard on horse farms for decades, and took a lot of ibuprofen for backaches.

“My doctor tell me, he said, you killed your kidneys.”

Hernandez had to quit his job, commenting, “I was thinking my family, my kids – you know, what’s going to happen next?

Needing to qualify for the transplant list, Hernandez turned to KHAKY.

KHAKY Board President Elaine Milem says, “Because it’s so expensive, a lot of people aren’t able to do this, so we’ve been able to help patients get their dental work done.

KHAKY’s unique “Get Healthy, Get Transplanted program referred Hernandez to Lexington dentist Richard Reams.  Hernandez needed his teeth cleaned three times, and had an extraction performed, but received his dental clearance for a kidney transplant.

A very grateful Hernandez still goes through grueling dialysis three times a week.  “I stay for three-and-a-half hours, and I feel like I’m going to die, sometimes, in the chair,” says Hernandez.  Still, he remains hopeful, praying for a donor.

“I want to see my babies grow up.  My little baby, she’s 5 years old right now.  I want to see her get married, have kids.  I want to be a grandpa.”

For more information about KHAKY, and to learn how you can help, visit www.khaky.org.