Category: Humans of Health Sciences
Renal Rehab Crew
March 11, 2021 Written by Nicolette Jimenez and Ashley Barnas | Photos by Ashley Barnas
March 11, 2021 is World Kidney Day! In late 2019, we interviewed and photographed three amazing patients who represent three different stages of Chronic Kidney Disease. Each of them is part of our Renal Rehab program here at the University of Delaware and they have seen significant life improvements over the years working out together. We will be sharing each of their stories.
Donald Laubach
Renal Rehab crew member
"I started the Renal Rehab program about three years ago because I had to get my heart strong enough for a kidney transplant. I transplanted Sept. 19, 2017 and came back as soon as I was allowed to.
I've been diabetic since I was eight and it’s taken its toll on my body. I’ve had several heart attacks, open-heart surgery, a six-way bypass and I had a clog in one of the graphs they did, which is why they wanted me to do cardio rehab. I used to get chest pains when I would get up, around 90 beats per minute, and now I don’t get that at all. Exercise has strengthened the heart quite a bit.
All three of my daughters were willing to donate a kidney to me, but two of them have had kidney stones and they won't take a kidney that's had stones. The surgery went so well for me. The kidney from my daughter started working immediately. I was out of hospital just itching to get back to rehab. My daughter, not so much. She had some complications, which was very upsetting for me because I caused this. But she's doing real well now. The system takes very good care of donors. If my daughter ever has a problem with her kidney, she's at the top of the list for a transplant. She doesn't have to wait the six years.
I'm a big proponent of ‘share your spare.’ People need to know how important it is to provide living kidneys. There's so many people that are on the waiting list - it’s six to seven years usually - and you can live a perfectly happy and healthy life with just one kidney. Also, the recipients need to know how to ask people to donate. There's a program called Big Ask, Big Give that helps people to reach out to people in your church, your social group, your family. A lot of people don't feel comfortable asking someone to give up part of their body.
Post-transplant has just been fantastic for me health-wise. The rehab here is something I look forward to going to every time. We're a bunch of friends and we care about each other. I've been through a lot. I do all that I can to try to maintain. I didn't ever think I'd be alive this long. Having had heart problems and kidney problems and this is a glass eye and, you know, it's taken its toll. But I want to keep going, not surrender to the problem but continue to fight it."
Bev LaRock
Renal Rehab crew member
"A little more than four years ago, I came to the Nutritious Newark Cook-Off and got nosy. I was walking up and down the halls of STAR, reading all the signs out in front of the labs and I said, ‘You know, I think I qualify for this study.’ I started with Danielle Kirkman’s 12-week Ph.D. project. Right when I was finishing that 12 weeks is when she was trying to get this Renal Rehab program started and I was retiring, and she said ‘You want to come?’ And I'm like, ‘Sure!’ And I have never left.
I found out I had Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) when I went to a new primary care doctor. I had no symptoms whatsoever and the doctor said, ‘Hey, you haven’t had blood work done for a long while. Let’s just do some blood work.’ And then they go, ‘Oops, we have a problem. You need to see a nephrologist.’ And that’s when I found out.
The reason I had kidney disease was because I had Polio as a child - last great epidemic was 1952 - and took too many Aleve, just trying to manage the pain and life. I had always been told that if you have Polio, you should not exercise hard because you just didn’t get the same benefits and made your muscles worse. I said that to Danielle and she said, ‘We can at least give it a try and see what happens!’ So I did and then a year, year and a half later, I went to the nephrologist and he asked me what I was doing differently besides not having anymore Aleve, and I told him the only thing that’s changed is this exercise program. He said my kidney level had gone down from level three to two and, “If I were you, I would keep doing it!” I also have a slight leak in a mitral valve, and over three years in the program, it’s gone down to almost indistinguishable.
A lot of the people coming to this program have had a lot of very serious health challenges, and yet the fact that they get up and come here two or three days a week is just amazing. We're competitive in a good way. We cheer each other on! I think it's a testament to the program but I think the students encourage us to talk and be friendly.
I love the students. I love learning what they're doing. I'm a long-time nurse, so having real people to interact with, I think, helps them a lot. I’ve been in a lot of other studies - I serve as a lab rat because I just love learning about all the new things that are going on! And I feel like as each person has left, they've trained the people who are going to take over so well, that they provide such a good resource for us. They're excellent motivators that couldn't be any nicer. I've often said, young people seem to walk around with their phones all the time - that's not what you see here. You see them engage with the clients and I do think each generation has brought that to the next generation. There's just a great camaraderie between the clients and students and I just love every one of them. Until they kick me out, I plan to keep coming!"
Joseph Cratic
Renal Rehab crew member
UPDATE: Joe received a kidney transplant on Jan. 5, 2020!
"I have been a part of this group for more than two and a half years. I had a stroke in 2011 and while recovering from the stroke, I've been trying to still just get my body back together. While I was going through being on the transplant list, I was talking to my nutritionist and I told her I wanted to be able to drive again, I wanted to be able to walk better and I wanted to be able to walk so I don't have to use my quad cane. She said there's a group that's doing something over in the University of Delaware that might be helpful, so I made contact with the Renal Rehab program.
They say I’m moving better in my walking. I guess maybe I’m harder on myself. I want to be able to do better. But I do feel that I am moving a lot easier and better and quicker in getting up and standing. I’m gaining more strength in my leg that I’m still weak in.
What keeps me motivated? I like just being with the group and coming over and knowing that it’s something that drives me to be here as best as I can. I come by paratransit, so I know that if I get here, I can work on it. The different students that come in, each of them have their own different personalities. Sometimes another person on the team might come in and be more challenging. Like with Brittany, the people I exercise with will ask, ‘How's she doing?” and I'll say ‘Well, she's really working me like a dog!’ And so then the next thing they say when they come in is, ‘Is she still pushing you?’ and I say ‘Well yeah, but she's coming after you next!’
This is a good organization and group to belong to. It could help you with pre-and post-kidney transplants. I haven't had a kidney yet. Hopefully, as a result of this, somebody might see this and say ‘Hey, I'll be willing to donate a kidney to you just to keep you going."
