Two Sitka boys looking for funds to help pay for kidney transplants
Until last summer, Sitka resident Zachary Swanson, 11, appeared to be a healthy, active, typical boy who enjoyed playing trombone, riding bikes, and playing video games.
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But while he was on a family vacation in Seattle, doctors discovered that Zachary, like his 3-year-old brother, Joseph, has chronic renal failure. Doctors recommended life-saving kidney transplants for both boys. The boys' family and other Sitka residents have responded with a campaign to help raise the estimated $150,000 necessary for medical expenses. It's called the Children's Organ Transplant Association for Zachary and Joseph.
So far, the campaign has raised about $30,000 from a Dec. 14 rummage sale in Sitka and other donations.
"We're not very near our goal at all," said Margaret Swanson, the boys' grandmother and the fund-raising campaign manager. She said churches have taken up donations, and a raffle is planned.
Despite the long way to reaching the $150,000 goal, the boys' mother remains positive.
"It's been a wonderful response at this point from Sitka, Anchorage, Juneau, all over Southeast and from friends and family down south," Jean Swanson said.
Chronic renal failure is the progressive loss of kidney function, causing shrinkage of the kidneys and scarring in all parts of the kidneys. Often symptoms of CRF are not noticed until more than 70 percent of kidney function is lost. Symptoms include excessive thirst, slow or delayed growth, weakness and tiredness, loss of appetite, high blood pressure, tremors, nausea and vomiting.
Doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital were surprised that Zachary appeared so healthy while his kidneys were functioning at only 20 percent, the family said. Unlike Joseph, who has had slow growth and developmental delays since infancy, Zachary was never a sickly child, said Jean Swanson. She said it is not uncommon to detect this type of renal failure during puberty, when kidneys cannot keep up with the body's rapid growth.
Zachary returned home from Seattle on Dec. 17, after having abdominal apparatus put in for home dialysis, said Margaret Swanson. The family hopes his transplant can be performed by early spring. Jean hopes to be Zachary's donor, but whether she will be able to donate should be determined by Feb. 1, after one final test.
Donors can be a friend or relative over the age of 18, or the kidney can come from a cadaver. The boys will take immunosupressants to help their bodies accept the donated organs, but it is not certain how long a transplanted kidney will last.
"A donated kidney can last anywhere from 10 to 30 years," said Jean. "It is a lifetime process. There is always the possibility of needing another transplant later in life."
"The biggest thing I want people to understand is that 100 percent of the (donated) money goes to the boys, not a general fund," said Jean. "I think this is the only program in the nation that doesn't take anything for their own costs."
COTA reimburses the family for travel expenses, but gifts of air miles would let more of the campaign proceeds go toward the cost of Zachary's and Joseph's transplants and post-transplant care. To donate Alaska Airlines miles or companion vouchers in the Swansons' name, contact Alaska Airlines, any travel agency, or Margaret Swanson at (907) 747-8699.
Money can be donated to the Children's' Organ Transplant Association, which then delegates funds to the medical providers. To find out more about COTA for Zachary and Joseph or to make a donation, visit the COTA Web site at www.cota.org.
Tax-deductible donations may be made at any Wells Fargo Bank branch or mailed to the Children's Organ Transplant Association, 2501 COTA Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. Checks or money orders are payable to "COTA for Zachary & Joseph." Write account number 8065348149 in the memo space.