My name is Ranjan. We have been Grafton residents for 35 years. Our 31-year-old son, born and raised in Grafton, is in critical need for a kidney. He has a genetically acquired Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) which is rapidly squelching his remaining kidney function.
This runs in my family. I lost my mother when I was 2 months old, and my older brother some six years ago. I had the same disease. After five long years of waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor, I was extremely fortunate in July 2014 to get a live kidney donation from a wonderful person in Westboro. She saved my life and we are both doing fine.
But my story has only a partial happy ending. Last year, while I was getting closer to receiving the kidney, we heard the devastating news about our son who now lives in California. One can only imagine how a mother feels when she becomes the contributor to her son’s disease. Now it is my turn (and my supportive husband as well) to help our son so he can have a normal life, get married and we can have grand kids.
In June we were blessed with two leads from Grafton News readers when this letter originally appeared. Unfortunately, for medical reasons, they were not a match. We are asking again for your help to save a life.
Since PKD has no treatment or cure, our son has two options: to get a kidney transplant or spend an indefinite period of his life undergoing the painful life supporting process of dialysis. Why a live kidney? First, the wait list for a deceased donor kidney is 5-6 years. Second, we have been told by our doctors that receiving a live kidney is more beneficial in success rate and longevity. Finally, we hope to avoid kidney dialysis due to potential side effects on top of the long wait.
Anyone interested in saving a life by donating a kidney (a kidney can be received from either a male or female) or learning more about the procedure, call 508-340-1746, my husband at 508-340-1743, or vshukla45@gmail.com. Thank you for your help.
Ranjan Shukla
UPTON DAILY 