Upper Burrell man waiting for 3rd kidney transplant

Joe Baker is a simple guy who enjoys tinkering with old tractors in his garage and spending time with family and friends.

“He’s an Average Joe, but he’s my Average Joe,” said his wife, Nancy. “He’s a good man.”

Joe, 63, and Nancy, 65, of Upper Burrell are on a search to find a living kidney donor for Joe’s third kidney transplant since 2001.

He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 13, Nancy said. In his late 30s, he developed renal failure and started dialysis. He would go to dialysis treatment in the evenings so he could continue to work during the day.

More than 26 million Americans have kidney disease, said UPMC spokeswoman Beth Mausteller, and close to three million may have type 1 diabetes.

“For many, transplant is a viable option for a better life,” she said.

In 2001, Joe received a kidney and pancreas treatment from a cadaver donor, no longer requiring dialysis or insulin, Nancy said. Over the next decade, Joe would work evening and night shifts so he could take care of his mother.

“The pancreas with that transplant is still fine, working the way it should,” Joe said. “The kidney started to fail in 2018.”

Despite taking the required medications and following doctor’s orders, Joe’s failing kidney placed him back on the transplant list. In 2019, he went back on dialysis three times a week for four hours at a time. He continued to work full time at a local machine shop.

Dialysis doesn’t improve kidney function, but instead replaces function that someone’s kidney used to perform.

Four and a half years later, he got a call for a kidney, and the couple rushed to the hospital for the procedure. He was discharged four days later and back to work in three months.

That relief quickly, and unfortunately, faded.

Doctors in December 2022 noticed a narrowing blood vessel in Joe’s kidney and placed a stent to keep the vessel open, Nancy said. There was a complication in the procedure, and the transplant had to be removed.

Joe went back on dialysis and had no choice but to retire from a job he loved, working as a machine operator at AccroTool Inc.

“I liked the job,” Joe said. “I didn’t want to retire.”

Things looked up this March — Nancy was approved to be a living kidney donor. But the surgery was canceled just 12 hours before it was scheduled because doctors said Joe had developed antibodies to Nancy’s tissue, and they felt there would be a high chance of rejection.

So, he remains on the transplant list.

“They haven’t found anybody yet,” Nancy said.

He isn’t alone in his wait. More than 92,000 people across the country are waiting for a new kidney. They represent about 87% of all people waiting for organ transplants, according to the American Kidney Fund.

Joe’s doctors are looking for a live donor instead of a cadaver because live donations last longer, Nancy said. Additionally, waiting for a cadaver donor could take five to seven years. By the time that happens, doctors determined Joe would be too ill to go forward with the transplant.

Benefits of a living donor transplant include little to no wait time for the patient to start surgery and a quicker recovery time because of “new minimally invasive surgery procedures,” Mausteller said.

Living donor transplant also reduces the risk of rejection, because the kidney is functioning up until the time of surgery, Mausteller said.

“They’re looking for a living one because, if it’s a great match, he can start,” Nancy said. “The sooner he can get off dialysis, the better. The longer you’re on dialysis, the harder it is on your body.”

UPMC considers living donors as a “first-line treatment option,” Mausteller said.

And being on dialysis is a “whole lifestyle” for the Bakers, Nancy said. Joe often is tired when he returns from treatments, and he faces a lot of dietary restrictions.

“Our world revolves around dialysis,” Nancy said.

But despite the struggle, Joe never complains.

“We know there are a lot of people that are worse off than us,” Nancy said. “We have a roof over our heads. We have friends and family that support us. And we have each other. When he’s having a bad day, I prop him up. And when I’m having a bad day, he props me up.”

Added Joe: “I have all my limbs. I can still get up and drive myself. I can get dressed.”

Friends and family have stepped up to the challenge to help Joe. Nancy has made many pleas on social media. Local businesses have hung fliers briefing Joe’s plight. Decals for information were made for loved ones’ vehicles. A friend was able to advertise the need on numerous area billboards around Christmastime. Friends also have registered to donate their kidney to Joe but were unsuccessful in being a match.

“It’s not easy to ask for help,” Joe said.

It can be difficult to find the right match for a kidney transplant, Joe said. Eligible donors have to be very healthy and have to undergo extensive testing before being considered as the right match. The testing process is covered by Joe’s insurance, Nancy said.

“It’s for the safety of the donor,” Nancy said. “You can live without one kidney, but they want to make sure that if you can live with one kidney, you’ll be OK.”

Nancy and Joe understand it’s a hard ask. They also understand people’s reluctance to donate an organ to a stranger.

“But we know that there are people out there that do that,” she said.

“We just have to find the right one.”