Thank you, Everyone, for sharing our story and raising incredible awareness about kidney disease and, most importantly, organ donation! The messages from friends and complete strangers offering to be tested and donate have been so much more than we ever could have anticipated! Ive ignored negative posts that Ive encountered thus far, but I cant shrug off some of the comments Ive seen posted here. My husband is 1 of 12 siblings, all who are diabetics and/or hypertensive, just as their parents were. Raleigh adjusted his lifestyle in every way possible, hoping to spare his kidney function, yet he finds himself in end-stage renal failure. No, he is not on dialysis. Yes, we know that he could live beyond a decade on dialysis, but as many dialysis patients have honestly shared, its a pain in the ass and would not allow him to be the active, spontaneous dad that he is today. Ive been told not to feel the need to explain our situation based on the negative feedback from others, but I cant promote awareness without addressing ignorance. As an officer in a small town, he was given officer courtesy and received a phone call to come to his sisters apartment when she was discovered, deceased, by her 17 year old son. She died from hemorrhaging from her dialysis port. His brother, who dialyzed at home 3 times each day, acquired an infection that required a surgery to move his port. During that routine procedure, he went into cardiac arrest that resulted in irreversible brain damage, and my husband, along with other family members, had to make the decision to take him off life support. He has a living sister who goes to a dialysis clinic 3 days a week, and shes made it no secret that it leaves her feeling exhausted and helpless. Dont, for one second, classify my husband as corrupt or dirty. He lives by the code, has restored breathing to a choking child and testified to convict child abusers, molesters and murderers, all while his kidneys were barely functioning. To some, he may be just another cop, but to his fellow officers, community, family, children and me - he is a Hero. As his wife, I will do any and everything I can to make sure Raleigh can continue to be the amazing man he is. To our girls, he is Superman. I cant take away his kidney disease, but I can ask for the help of others, and thats what Ive done. By the grace of God, our story touched the hearts of people around the world, and I pray that many in desperate need of a kidney, including my husband, will receive a new lease on life. If you doubt the goodness of others who believe in making a difference, please visit “Our Daddy Needs a Kidney”’s Facebook page. You may be pleasantly surprised at the number of people who now feel compelled to continue the donor testing process to be a match for someone else if theyre deemed incompatible for Raleigh. This could very well lead to unimaginable blessings for my family and many others. Thank you for all of your prayers, kind words and support. I have spent the past two days personally reading each and every email weve received, and Im still reading. In order to initiate the process of being tested as a possible match, please call Emory Transplant at 1-855-366-7989 Monday - Friday from 8:00AM - 5:00PM, and let them know youd like to be tested as a possible match for Raleigh Callaway DOB 3/5/65. Raleighs blood type is AB+, which means he can receive an organ from any blood type. The cross-matching of his antibodies with the donors antibodies will be the determining factor of who is most compatible for him. The initial pre-screening tests are covered by a special fund at Emory and will not cost you anything. They will send you a test kit for you to take to the lab or hospital of your choice. Thank you so much, again! You have no idea what this means to our family! ~Kristi Callaway
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 13:10:17 +0000
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