Niwot resident helps others while waiting for a kidney

Although Jim Eastman, who’s lived in Niwot for 25 years, is waiting for a donor kidney, he’s still reaching out to help others in similar situations.

After being diagnosed with kidney disease 15 years ago, and witnessing his brother pass away from a brain bleed and donate his organs, Eastman (66) knew he wanted to get involved to give back to others. He became a donor advocate and speaker with the Donor Alliance and a kidney peer with the National Kidney Foundation.

“When I was first prescribed to go on dialysis, I wanted to talk to somebody,” Eastman explained of why he got involved, “about their choices, and the problems and benefits of the different modalities I had to choose from. [My doctors] couldn’t tell me anybody who was doing this because of patient privacy.”

Eastman now has end-stage kidney disease and is currently on a waiting list in Colorado and Nebraska for a deceased donor’s kidney. To keep his spirits up, he’s turned to being a support system for others.

“That’s been a real positive thing,” Eastman said of being a kidney peer. “It just feels like I’m doing something more than just being sick.”

When Eastman was first diagnosed, he had 50 percent of his kidney function and knew he’d have to receive a new kidney eventually, but didn’t worry about it at the time. Over the years as his health started to decline, Eastman’s main treatment plan has been staying healthy.

“I have a full time job,” Eastman explained. “It’s 8-10 hours a day, no days off—not weekends, not holidays—and the pay is horrible but the benefits are great. My full time job is keeping myself healthy enough to be able to receive a kidney when it becomes available.”

Eastman only has 18 percent of his kidney function, which is why he receives dialysis for eight hours every night.

“It doesn’t take very much kidney function to support your body,” Eastman said. “That’s why a live donor can give one kidney without having too much risk to themselves. Because that one remaining kidney will actually grow bigger.”

Eastman focuses on staying healthy by exercising, eating right, keeping his blood pressure down and not smoking. “All those things help, but that’s really all you can do,” he stated.

Eastman was astonished by how many people were affected by this disease. He said 120,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a kidney; there are 1,200 in Colorado alone. About 16 people die of kidney disease each day, 30 are added to the list daily, and only two to three are transplanted a day.

“This is going nowhere fast,” Eastman said. “So the more awareness we can have of getting people to donate, the less of a problem this is.”

Eastman recently participated in the Donor Dash 5K run/walk on Sunday, July 17 in Denver. According to the Donor Alliance website, the event is held to “honor the lives of organ and tissue donors, celebrate the lives of organ and tissue recipients and recognize those who continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant.”

Eastman spoke to over 5,800 participants about his kidney disease, the wait for a transplant, his brother’s organ donations and the hope he has to get healthy again.

“Hopefully what we’re able to do is help people understand this is a choice of an individual,” he said. “And when somebody signs on their driver’s license, it’s a contract, and the family cannot block it.”

Although Eastman would prefer a live donor “because statistically a live donor kidney lasts twice as long as a deceased donor kidney and it has significantly less chance of rejection,” he’s open to receiving a deceased donor’s kidney if that comes first.

So far though, eight people have stepped forward to donate a kidney to Eastman, one of whom is currently going through the physical exam process. The other seven were turned away, because of a potential personal health risk.

“I’m getting kind of used to the fact that anyone who steps up might be declined,” Eastman said. “I feel for the people who are stepping forward altruistically to be told ‘no you can’t do this.’ It’s a huge disappointment for them.”

Eastman knows how big of a decision and commitment this is for the donor, especially strangers who call from the sign on his wife Ruthie’s car that reads: Husband Needs Kidney.

“It’s amazing that someone would donate to a stranger, or even consider donating to a stranger,” he commented.

Even though the waiting list in Colorado for a kidney with Eastman’s blood type is four to five years, and the waiting list in Nebraska is 17 months, Eastman’s hope hasn’t wavered. He sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

“The hope and the confidence that this is going to happen is great,” Eastman said. “I just don’t know when and how much further my health declines before that happens. Right now I just deal with it.”

While he waits though, he focuses on helping others going through the same situation and giving them hope during an anxious time.

“I think it’s important to have peer support from people who have experienced what is causing you great anxiety,” Eastman explained. “I don’t think you can buy that, it’s just not available to have that heart to heart connection. It’s a real connection.”

For more information on becoming an organ donor, volunteering with Donor Alliance, or donating a kidney to Eastman, email [email protected].