Living kidney donor sought for young Lumby man after first transplant rejected

Photo: Facebook

A Lumby family is seeking a live kidney donor after more than two years of medical ups and downs.

Cole Derry received a pancreas and kidney transplant in 2020, but suffered ongoing infections and organ rejection following the procedure, his family says on the Cole's Kidney Journey Facebook page.

Now, they are being told he will likely require another transplant "in the not too distant future."

Derry has been in and out of hospital in Vancouver over the past year, but keeps on fighting.

"His pancreas is still not functioning, and the doctors believe that it is unlikely that it will function again. There has been some talk that it may be removed depending on how things progress. He is back on his insulin pump now and is again considered diabetic," the most recent post on the page states.

"Cole’s kidney function has declined significantly and has gotten as low as 14%. This has come up a bit now to around the 20% mark, but still a far cry from the 112% function he had shortly following the transplant. This decline is most likely from the episodes of rejection he has been having.

"The doctors are not sure why this is happening so far post-transplant, but it's not the first time they have seen this happen."

The family trying to stay positive, but says they are starting to see mild symptoms of kidney disease creeping back in and fear that dialysis won’t be far off.

"Cole was very fortunate to get a kidney and pancreas transplant the last time, and the wait time was relatively short in comparison to those waiting for just a kidney. This time we aren’t sure if he will be on the combined list again or on just the kidney list, so we have no idea what to expect for a wait. Receiving a living donor kidney is the most successful option and likely has the shortest wait time," family members say.

Cole's recent side-effects have included a low white blood cell count and has severe sleep apnea.

"His anti-rejection medication is constantly being adjusted to compensate for different things, and it’s been tough on his body," they say.

Anyone interested in becoming a living organ donor is asked to contact the family via the Facebook page.