Jim Williams, 52, of Ashland, Ohio, was diagnosed with
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) in 2004. PKD is a genetic disease and has led
to the formation of cysts on Jim’s kidneys.
PKD develops in people between the ages of 30 and 50.
Symptoms include high blood pressure, blood in urine (bleeding cysts), pain
over the kidney, kidney stones, and recurring kidney infections. Some people
with PKD never experience these symptoms. However, 50% of people with PKD
develop kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant by age 60.
Jim’s kidney function has gradually been decreasing, and he has now entered the
kidney failure stage of this disease. He is in need of a kidney transplant.
Jim has lived in Ashland for 29 years. While he works as a
production manager at an automotive supplier in Mansfield, his life revolves
around his family. Teresa is a sophomore at Ashland University and Tony is a
freshman at Ohio State. Jim served as a soccer coach and basketball coach
during their childhood years. He was a volunteer coach and then a division
manager and vice president of the Ashland Soccer Association. Jim also was a
volunteer coach in the Ashland YMCA basketball
program. When Tony pursued traveling soccer and basketball, Jim spent many
weeknights and weekends taking Tony to practices and games. When Teresa
transitioned from soccer to tennis, her father was active on the tennis court,
helping her learn the game and driving her to receive professional coaching.
Jim always put forth the efforts to support the dreams of
his children, and now his children are helping in the effort to find their
father a kidney. He has been cleared for the transplant list at Cleveland
Clinic, but due to the high demand of kidneys there is three-year wait. Jim
needs potential donors to come forward, in order to ensure that he receives a
kidney from a living donor while he is still as healthy as possible and able to
recover more easily from transplant surgery.
While donating a kidney can be a difficult decision, those interested in being screened for possible donation are encouraged to email kidneyforjim@gmail.com or contact the Cleveland Clinic at (216) 445-3150 and let them you are interested in being a kidney donor for James Williams. His account number is 41084456. More information about the process of donating a kidney can be found at http://www.kidney.org/index.cfm. Please feel free to like or share the Facebook page “Let’s Find a Kidney for Jim” to show your support.
