Local firefighter looking for a kidney!

Hi. This may or may not be your first time hearing this but, I having been dealing with polycystic kidney disease. ​I been a lifetime resident of West Richland, I have a wonderful wife and son that has been raised in West Richland. I have been an active career Firefighter for Benton County Fire District (West Richland) for over 20 years. I have served my community to the best of my abilities. Currently I am on light duty and cannot actively serve my community the way I have done.  Polycystic Kidney disease has taken that away.  I know I can possibly give back more with a new kidney. I feel that Polycystic Kidney disease has made me become a victim and now I am the one who needs rescuing.​ My kidney function has gradually gotten worse and I am at the point where my treatment options are very limited. I am at a point I will need to start regular dialysis treatments for the rest of my life or get a kidney transplant.​For people like me, a kidney transplant can increase the chances of living a longer, healthier life. Dialysis can only do a fraction of what your healthy kidneys do for your body every day. I am likely to live longer with a transplant than if I stay on dialysis. I am currently on the on the deceased donor waiting list as inactive status accruing time.  The average wait time is five years. The only other way to shorten the wait time is for me to get a transplant is from a living donor. Even though most of us are born with two kidneys, we only need one healthy kidney to survive. That means you or someone else you know could save a life by choosing to be a living donor. Kidneys from living donors can even last almost twice as long as kidneys from deceased donors. Of course, a kidney transplant is a major surgery for myself and my donor, so it does have risks. However, transplant surgery is generally safe and often successful. There is no telling when I will get that call from my transplant center that a kidney is available for me. So, while I wait, I am choosing to focus on what is in my control.​ I have decided to start my own search for a living donor. It is not easy, but I am reaching out to people closest to me for help. Please share my story with others you know. You never know who may be able to help me a find a donor.​ Please let me know if you would like to learn more about the living donor process and what it takes to become a living kidney donor for me or someone else. You can also contact my transplant center at Virginia Mason Kidney Donor Information Line at 206-341-0925

or Living Organ Donation (vmfh.org) 

Thank you!

Captain Raymond Newton