Check out the new website at MyKidneyTransplant.org for the latest updates
First, I would like to apologize for the lapse in updates on my progress with the kidney transplant. I have had no good news due to my antibodies being so high that I have temporarily given up the fight but I am back thanks to Dr. Stegal’s new research at the Mayo Clinic.
Let me get all of you caught up since my last posting. Last summer, I was hopeful that I was going to receive a kidney from my son Joe since my antibody level was low enough for them to work with and get the transplant. After a stress attack which landed me in the hospital for several days at St. Vincent Hospital in Erie, my antibody level was soaring higher than allowable for me to receive a kidney transplant. It has been a year now and my antibodies are still very high. Needless to say, that is when I went through a period in my life of hopelessness. It felt like a sugar high and when you come down from that it was like you reached rock bottom.
I continued with dialysis putting in my time three days a week knowing that I was no where closer to receiving a transplant even after two years. The depression filled me day in and day out. Inside, I was screaming that all I want to do is get my health back, go back to work and get my life back. Everything changed it seemed overnight for me and finally my own realization kicked in that we only pass this life once and that I needed to look around and appreciate what I do have and what I can do. The things that kept me going during that time was having someone very special in my life that I love very much, my family and living for each good moment that comes my way and knowing I am one more day closer to receiving a transplant.
In June of this year my mother and I re-visited the Mayo Clinic for my annual evaluation to continue on the transplant list. My dear friend Kathy Kuhn’s helped me buy some tickets to hold a 50/50 drawing to pay for lodging at the Gift of Life Transplant House while I was there doing my testing. My mother and friends was a great help selling tickets along with so many people who showed me support. Thank you all for helping me with this! Also, with the help of Angel Flight, I was able to get to the Mayo which helped immensely. Otherwise, on my own I would not be able to pay for transportation and I am very grateful for Angel Flight’s assistance. I did very well on all the testing during the week. On my last day there, I met with Dr. Stegal the surgeon and he said that he was conducting a study to lower antibodies with the two medications Velcade and Eculizamab. He has had great results with them and said he will be selecting some candidates that he believes would benefit them and lower their antibodies to be able to receive a kidney transplant. I asked to be considered and he said that I would hear from him within the next six months. Well, two weeks after getting back home I received a call from Nongyowe Braaten, who is coordinating with Dr. Stegal on his research study with the medication to help lower antibodies. Nongyowe explained that I was selected for this program and that I could expect to be at the Clinic every week for up to eight months to monitor my progress. She also explained that when my antibodies are low enough that they can proceed with the transplant. I also was to give bone marrow a few times during this time as well. Immediately, I was thrilled to be given this chance and then realization kicked in that it would cost quite a bit to stay at the Gift of Life Transplant House for such a lengthy time. I called my family for assistance to see what anyone could do to help me and I am waiting for them to get back with me. The housing was going to cost $600 a month and for the entire time it would be $6000 for the eight months. I called my social worker, Danielle at the Mayo Clinic and asked her what assistance or help I can get to make this happen and she suggested contacting Lynette at the Gift of Life Transplant House. I called Lynette and she said that there is funding to help me and that she could lower it from $25/night to $15/night. Well, that drops my housing expense to $450, I was getting excited that is was a little lower. Don’t know how I can pull it all together but I know I will some how. And, I also know that this is a chance to participate in science at one of the greatest Clinics in the world and I felt privileged to be chosen for this research medication. So, I am brainstorming now to hold another fundraiser hopefully by the end of August since I am supposed to leave in September. We are looking to do a Chinese Auction both for children and adults, a 50/50 and serve donuts and beverages. There will be no charge and will only be accepting donations. One idea we have is to open it up for pledges to ask the public, all in attendance and my family for pledge a month’s lodging of $450 to cover expenses at the Gift of Life Transplant House. By doing this, my hope is that I get eight pledges to cover my time there for this medication which will be administered at the Mayo Clinic intravenously each week. I will keep you all posted on the time and date of the fundraiser. The date I am looking at is Saturday, August 27th, 2011 which is a week before my expected departure. In the meantime, if any one would like to pledge a month, please contact: Gift of Life Transplant House
c/o Teresa Cray
705 Second St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
(507)288-7470 Phone
(507)281-9888 Fax
Lynette is the coordinating director at the Gift of Life Transplant House and she will be setting up an account in my name to accepting pledges to cover my lodging expenses.
Teresa Cray, 47, suffers from renal disease caused by lupus. She was headed to the Mayo Clinic in need of an evaluation relative to a muchneeded transplant. She was accompanied by her mom, Cheryl Kregiel.
“She needs a kidney donor,” said Kregiel. Although family members lined up to help, Cray’s best chance for a successful transplant is through the paired donation program.
“I even wanted to give her my kidney if I could have,” said Kregiel.
Cray, 47, said she has a one percent chance of finding the perfect match. She undergoes dialysis three times a week while she waits. And she’s making the trip to Rochester for her second evaluation. Cray said she learned of Angel Flights out of necessity.
“When you don’t have the funds, you research,” said Cray. “It’s a major life-saver for us.”
Cray and her mom were tickled pink with Monday’s flight. Betty said the passengers really enjoyed crossing through Canadian airspace, and seeing both sides of the border at the St. Clair River where boats plied the waters.
“Thank you for taking us. You guys made it really nice,” Kregiel told the Keils before starting the next leg of their journey. “You made it possible for my daughter to get the help she needs.”
Cray and Kregiel were met by Ann Arbor-based pilot Kelly Burris. She flew a Beechcraft Debonair to Dupont-Lapeer to pick up the pair for the next leg of their flight. Burris would pilot the plane to Madison, Wisconsin.
“We’re going to be going right over Lake Michigan,” Burris told her passengers. “It’s going to be pretty.”
In Madison, the patient and her mom would be met by yet another Angel Flight pilot who would deliver Cray and Kregiel to Rochester, Minn., just a few miles from the Mayo Clinic.
Once in Rochester, Cray will spend the week at the Gift of Life Transport House while she undergoes her evaluation. Then, she’ll return to Pennsylvania via Angel Flight.
Betty Keil notes that Angel Flight has strict requirements for participating pilots. They are always looking for more pilots to participate, and they want patients and doctors to know the service is available for persons with legitimate medical needs for whom air transportation is not affordable or feasible.
“It is very rewarding,” noted Burris. She confesses that Angel Flight combines something she loves to do with helping others. “I’m in love with flying. I’ve done a lot with Angel Flight over the years. It’s a good cause.”
In addition to volunteer pilots, Angel Flight accepts donated miles for commercial flights, which is how Cray made her first trip to the Mayo Clinic.
Betty Keil said she wants to get the word out about Angel Flight. She is happy to address organizations to explain the service that Angel Flight provides and how it works. For more information about Angel Flight, contact Betty via email at angelflightannie@aol.com. Check out the website at http://www.angelflight.com/.
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| Patient Teresa Cray (right) and her mother Cheryl Kregiel were all smiles on Monday at the Dupont- Lapeer Airport. Photo by NANCY R. ELLIOTT |
Teresa Cray loves to travel and having fun joking and pranking — not easy things to do when you're on dialysis. She has suffered kidney failure since 2006. She has been told that she would not be eligible for a kidney transplant because she has antibodies that are too high. The news means her life could be restricted by three, four-hour dialysis treatments every week for the rest of her life until the antibodies are lowered.
Attempts to overcome barriers to kidney transplants are not new. In the 1980s some patients were successfully transplanted following a procedure called plasmapheresis, a blood-filtering process that replaces antibody-carrying plasma with albumin and a saline solution. But it was not embraced by the transplant community because it was expensive and labor-intensive. In Japan, however, where deceased donor kidney transplantation is unpopular, scientists saw the procedure as the only way to save many lives. In 1998, they surprised the transplant community when they reported an eight-year follow-up study on 61 patients who had had ABO incompatible transplants. Its publication coincided with Dr. Stegall's move to Mayo Clinic.
TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR KIDNEY TRANSPLANT EXPENSES FOR TERESA CRAY. SPECIALIZED RESEARCH TO BE DONE AT THE MAYO CLINIC IN ROCHESTER, MN THAT WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE HER KIDNEY TRANSPLANT. SO, COME JOIN US FOR A FAMILY AFTERNOON OF HOMEMADE HEARTY MEATLOAF AND WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN MAKE THIS A SUCCESS FOR HER!!
WE WILL ALSO BE HOLDING:
A 50/50 DRAWING!
A CHINESE AUCTION WITH SOME GREAT GIFTS AND DOORPRIZES!
“EAT ALL WEEK AUCTION” Drawing for (7) area RESTAURANTS!
SPECIALTY DRAWINGS/AUCTIONS!
WHERE? Community Center of Crawford County
PHONE NUMBER: 814-336-1762
WHEN? Sunday, June 13, 2010
TIME? 11:00am- 3:30pm
(DOORS OPEN AT 10:30AM TO SIGN UP FOR DRAWINGS)
MENU:
HOMEMADE HEARTY FAMILY MEATLOAF
MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY
SWEET CORN (or) GREEN BEANS
DINNER ROLL w/BUTTER
PINEAPPLE SUPREME CAKE (or) FRUIT
COFFEE/TEA/BEVERAGE
COST:
$10/ADULTS
$6/ Children 3-10 (Under 3 yrs. is free)
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
CONTACT JOE OR VANESSA CRAY AT 814-654-7468. Or, contact Teresa at 407-791-4920.
PLEASE VISIT TERESA CRAY’S WEBPAGE TO GET MORE INFORMATION. http://teresacray.blogspot.com/
Dear Community Sponsor,
My name is Teresa Cray and my family and friends are helping me organize a benefit dinner and a Chinese Auction that is not only going to be fun but full of entertainment to help with my kidney transplant expenses. Dinner and a show! I want to invite your business to donate an item or gift certificate for our Chinese Auction and afternoon luncheon to be held on Sunday June 13, 2010, starting at 11:00am – 3:00pm at the Community Center of Crawford County, 1034 Park Avenue, Meadville, PA 16335, and 814-336-1762. Also, anyone wanting to make a donation can donate at: Oil Country Federal Credit Union c/o Teresa Cray Kidney Transplant Expenses Savings (2), 814-827-4605. We will gladly accept cash donations if you are unable to attend this event.
All auctioned items are donated by businesses like yours – as well as other caring members of our community. The proceeds from these auctioned items/gift certificates are to be used for Transplant Expenses as my transplant will require specialized medicine/research at the Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic so I may receive my transplant and with your help and the rest of the community, my fundraiser will be a success helping with lodging, airfare and food expenses for the 7 week stay. The good news is….I have a donor (my son, Joe Cray) and we are scheduled for the kidney transplant operation the 2nd week of July pending funds for the various upcoming expenses.
Any item of donation will be publicly displayed at our Chinese Auction. We are fast approaching our fundraiser event so, if you would like to donate to this function, please contact Joe, Vanessa or Teresa Cray at 814-654-7468 or 407-791-4920. Our deadline for the gift certificates is Friday, June 11, 2010 leaving us a couple of days before the event to make honorable mention of your donation for public display. We are hoping for a good turnout and appreciate anything you might be able to do to sponsor our Fundraising Event. Our goal is $5,000. So far, we have raised $2,000 at a previous fundraiser so we are almost halfway there, please help if you can!
Items that we are in need of are:
• Gift Certificates
• Item or gift to donate towards our Chinese Auction
• Cash donations (to offset food expense)
• Assorted gift baskets for drawings and Chinese Auction.
Sincerely,
Teresa Cray
Teresa Cray
tcraytechteam@yahoo.com
http://teresacray.blogspot.com/
407-791-4920 or 814-654-7468
My son, Joe Cray has just returned from the Mayo Clinic undergoing 3 days testing April 18th- 21st to see if he will be a good candidate as my donor. All went well and he received a phone call the day after he returned home and was told that after in depth review it was decided that he will make a good choice as the donor. He was told, however that his cholesterol was a little high and that he needed to bring that down and then they could proceed with the transplant operation probably in July of this year. It has been a long haul for me and now there is light at the end of the tunnel for me. I am so proud of him for doing this for me and also for my other sons, mom, sister and brother that have been tested and also willing to do this for me. I am so blessed to have a family that loves me so much. We are pretty much ready for this. I plan to hold a fundraiser on June 13th, 2010 to try to raise enough to cover our expenses for airfare and lodging for our 7 week stay in Rochester, MN. Read More
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