Kidney donation successful seven years post-op; others still in need

It has been almost seven years since Niwot resident Jim Eastman received a kidney from Loveland resident Scott La Point, and both men are doing very well.

The two men, still friends, talked about the excitement of the original procedure. La Point said, "I called up Jim and asked him what he was doing a week from Thursday." Eastman cut in, "I thought he just wanted to meet up for coffee or something else." La Point continued, "I said, 'no I don't want to get coffee or go for a bike ride, we have a date set for our surgery!'" That surgery took place June 29, 2017.

Having only one kidney has not changed too much for either man. Eastman said, "The hardest part for me was getting used to the immune suppressing drugs since I was the one who received the kidney."

La Point added. "For me, the main thing is that blood pressure is always a risk, but I monitor myself and talk to my doctor. I've been eating more salads in the past few years than ever before, but I have always been physically active and that hasn't changed. Donating is really quite safe overall if you go through the proper screenings and I wish more people realized that."

Despite only having one kidney each, La Point and Eastman are both still active athletes. La Point is in training for the Triple Bypass held July 13, spanning a route from Evergreen to Avon. Eastman will be returning to the 2024 Transplant Games in Birmingham, Alabama.

La Point and Eastman both competed in the 2018 Transplant Games held in Salt Lake City, Utah, the summer after their surgeries. They also registered for 2020 Transplant Games held in New Jersey, but that event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they both attended the 2022 Transplant Games in San Diego, California, and had a wonderful time.

La Point said, "These games are a chance to see the same people every two years and compete against them every two years as well." La Point will miss this year due to the timing conflict with the Triple Bypass, but they have high hopes for the future. Eastman said, "We will see what happens in 2026. Hopefully we can both go together again."

Going through a kidney operation and competing on a bicycle are not the only things La Point and Eastman have in common. Both men are traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors and now support group leaders with Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado to give back to the community that helped them when they were first struggling.

In addition to mentoring TBI survivors, both La Point and Eastman mentor other people going through similar transplant situations. They also travel to various schools and community events to give presentations on their experiences. Eastman said, "I currently mentor a total of eight people through both the American Transplant Foundation and serve as a "kidney peer" for the National Kidney Foundation. It is really rewarding to be able to assist someone going through an experience like this."

One of La Point's mentees, referred to as "Mr. Smith" to shield his identity, has been facing some particularly difficult challenges in getting a kidney transplant. After five years on dialysis, which takes a large physical, emotional, and financial toll, he still hopes to find a living donor. A living kidney would add ten to twenty years or more on his life span as opposed to the five years a kidney from a deceased donor is expected to last. Mr. Smith has gone through numerous medical checkups and screenings to ensure he meets all of the qualifications for a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, he has hit roadblocks at every turn.

Mr. Smith said, "I have tried everything, done all of the testing and published my story on every website available. It has turned up nothing and just dashed my hope. My plan now is to go back to Africa to have the transplant done in a facility there."

He continued, "There is a potential donor match for me in both Nigeria and Uganda and when they applied for a temporary visa for the length of the surgery and the recovery they were denied. It will cost me almost $20,000 for the surgery alone, but life is worth more than $20,000." The airfare will be an additional $5,000.

Mr. Smith believes racial profiling is a large part of the reason he has been unsuccessful in finding a donor. He said, "I studied here in America, I am a citizen, but I speak with an accent and I can tell how people view me. I tell you this system is just not well at all."

It is a difficult concept to stomach, but hopefully something in the system can change to provide easier access to potential altruistic donors. For now, there is much that can be learned by visiting various websites to learn more about donation, such as Donate Life America at http://www.DonateLife.net.