Why I Walk

Hello!  My name is Pat Klickna. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a wife, mother and grandmother and I’m a kidney recipient, ten months out.

In January 2020, I had my usual yearly physical. Everything was perfect.  In February of 2020, I needed some blood work done and my doctor noticed that my Creatinine was elevated from January.  He said to check in with him in a few months and we would recheck my numbers.  I never did.  I felt fine. Creatinine is one indicator that you may have kidney problems.

In June of 2020, I called my doctor telling him I was having acid reflux problems, as I have in past years. I really couldn’t taste my food, it was tasting funny, and I felt like I had indigestion all the time, even nauseated. He started me on Nexium for a few weeks, then Prilosec for a few weeks but nothing was working.  On July 26, 2020, we were camping with our family.  I was so sick that I told my husband I wanted to go home and go to the emergency room.

When the doctor got the final test results, he told me they were going to admit me because my kidneys weren’t working and that’s why I was so sick.  I was in total shock!  My Creatinine number was 3.98.  In January of that same year, it was 0.27.  I would remain in the hospital for the next five days as the doctors would try to save my kidney function.  I was in Stage 5 Rapidly Progressing Chronic Kidney Disease.

My Primary Care doctor sent me to a Nephrology Clinic in Ft. Collins and I worked with the nephrologist there for the next 14 months.  My nephrologist saw me gradually deteriorate and he knew what was happening.  He sent me to a dialysis class to learn about the options of dialysis, either home dialysis or going to a center three days a week.  Also, he connected me with the Porter Transplant Program at Centura Transplant Hospital in Denver.  I needed to begin the process of getting my name on transplant lists.
 
When my son Kris found out I needed a transplant, he immediately started the process of being tested.  It took weeks and just when he thought he was done, the doctors wanted more tests. I was so grateful to have a donor, but it was my son and I wanted to make sure he would be able to live a healthy life. I appreciated the rigorous testing protocol the doctors were conducting.  Finally, around the end of September 2021, Kris found
out he was a great match!  I had the transplant on October 6, 2021, with Kris right down the hall from me.

37 million people are living with Chronic Kidney Disease.  1 in 7 people are diagnosed with the disease. Most people don’t even know they have the disease, and I was one of them.

I have learned so much in the past two years about kidney disease and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).  My niece Amy who lives in Columbus, Indiana also offered to be tested.  If she was a match, all her expenses would have been paid, including her surgery and her follow up visits which would take place in her hometown.  The Colorado office of NKF has fought hard for the “Living Donor Protection Act of 2019” to ensure that living organ donors are not discriminated against in certain insurance policies. NKF nationally and locally is advocating for those who are dealing with kidney disease. 


Our donations provide help, so families have a place to turn for answers. NFK works hard to improve awareness, diagnosis and treatment for families, and drives innovation in transplantation.  80 cents on every dollar we donate is spent toward improving the lives of kidney patients and their families.

I have made it my life’s goal to do whatever I can to help those with kidney disease.  I still have Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage Two.  I hope one day to get to Stage One.   I know my team of doctors, surgeons, and nurses at Porter Transplant are doing everything they can to make me better. Hopefully advances in medications and treatments can help me survive longer.  But we need your help.   Thank you!!
 
Pat Klickna
2022 Denver Kidney Walk
Committee Member

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