Barry Bush of Northeast Philadelphia is waiting for a New Kidney

This photo of Barry Bush says it all. What has sustained him during his soon-to-be FOUR YEARS, in November, on kidney dialysis?

His family and a deep faith in God.

Barry is 58. He lives with his wife, Cynthia, his stepson Nick, and son Luke. He also has grown children - Darcy, Tim, Cynthia (stepdaughter), and grandchildren Kaylee and Saun.

Lithium strikes again! It damaged his kidneys and in order to live he is on peritoneal dialysis. The machine is next to his bed. Cynthia sleeps right next to him.




This bag drips into his abdomen, on which he has an opening, covered up with a bandage and tape. Half of his day is taken up with dialysis prep and then lying still in bed.

He uses about five bags per session. 

He gets into bed around 9 and stays there 12 hours. All the toxins build up in his body, esp. his belly, and need to be pumped out.

A long hose dumps the toxins into the toilet.

I visited Barry on June 15 of this year and got all this info.



Barry has won dozens upon dozens of awards at the Flower Show and other Eastern shows. He grows a lot of edibles and succulents. At the Flower Show he judges succulents and Conn cactus and also for the Succulent Society.



Did I mention Orchids?

 
In the United States, 101,662 people await a kidney transplant, as of 4/22/15, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

The median wait time for an individual’s first kidney transplant is 3.6 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility and availability of organs.


Stalin Campos, MD, is one of my kidney transplant surgeons at Einstein Medical Center in Philly. (My transplant, also from lithium toxicity, was on April 1, 2011.)

Barry also chose Einstein, as he heard good reports about the surgery team and that you were treated like a person, not a number.

I was fortunate my daughter Sarah was a match.


Here's Sarah, a former boxing champ, at Atlas Cops and Kids in Brooklyn, where she helps train young boxers.

Did you know there are Good Samaritans out there who wish to donate a kidney?



Stalin advises that Barry get a kidney from a healthy person in their 30-50s.

Who's gonna disagree with Stalin?

His bloodtype is