The gift of a lifetime: a man gets a new kidney at Christmas
Created: 12/25/2022, 10:00 am
Jens Schad one year after the transplant.
He is now even more committed to organ donation.
© Patrick Dehnhardt
Jens Schad from Villingen received a unique present on Christmas Eve a year ago.
He had been waiting for a kidney for almost eight years, and now the time had come.
How has he fared since then?
It is December 24, 2021, quarter to ten.
Jens Schad, his wife Yvonne and their daughter are enjoying the contemplative time under the Christmas tree.
Then the phone rings, again and again.
At first, Jens Schad doesn't want to answer, thinks of a prank call.
But then he pulls himself together.
At the other end is his doctor: »We have a new kidney for you!«
The story begins 20 years earlier.
Jens Schad is a dedicated young man, active in the fire service, and lives his life.
He is in favor of organ donation, but he had no idea that this would ever become an issue for him.
In 2001 he was diagnosed with kidney damage.
First, the cause is sought, then it is stopped with medication.
At first it looks good, reports giessener-allgemeine.de.
In 2013, however, the CMV virus broke out in him.
99 percent of people who become infected with the virus, which belongs to the herpes virus family, do not notice it or hardly notice it.
They remain potential carriers for life, because the pathogen remains in the body.
However, Jens Schad belongs to the other one percent: the virus causes severe pneumonia in him.
He comes to the intensive care unit, is in mortal danger and has to be artificially ventilated for five and a half weeks.
As a result, he takes early retirement.
"And that's when the shit really started." Because as a result, his kidneys work worse and worse.
"In March 2014 they were no longer able to work." He was immediately put on a waiting list for a kidney donation.
The then 41-year-old now has to have dialysis three times a week.
The artificial blood purification takes four and a half hours, after which he is totally exhausted physically, so that he can only lie on the couch for hours.
»I have respect for those who still go to work afterwards - I couldn't do it.« Later he took advantage of the night dialysis offer.
The blood is cleaned in seven and a half hours, »that was much gentler for me«.
Nevertheless, the procedure remains exhausting.
Around 8,500 people in Germany are on the waiting list for a donor organ, the majority of whom need a new kidney.
In 2021, only 933 people donated their organs after their death, 475 living kidney donations were added, mostly from close relatives.
However, Jens Schad does not have a suitable donor in his circle of relatives.
Jens Schad is waiting seven years and eight months.
And the call came on Christmas Eve of all days, just before 10 p.m.
“We cried with joy at first and then called everyone straight away.” But everything is still hanging by a thread.
On the one hand, further tests are necessary to clarify whether the donor organ and he are really compatible.
"It could have been over by then." And then there's the pandemic: Trembling during the corona test.
But both are fine.
Jens Schad goes to the university clinic on Christmas Day and is prepared for the operation.
The time window in which the kidney can be implanted is small.
His doctor brought him into the operating room with the words: “I'm the first person you see when you wake up again.” At one o'clock on Boxing Day, Jens Schad opens his eyes to a new life.
And the doctor kept her word.
Of course, he first felt whether there was a bandage, he admits.
The first few days are painful, he can only get up with a waist belt.
He wears it for a long time longer than he has to - "just a mental thing".
When you've waited so long for something so important, you don't want to take any chances.
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Drugs slow down the immune system so that his body accepts the organ.
"The first time it's like a pregnancy: Mett rolls, raw fish, salami - everything is taboo." Even the family dog has to keep his distance.
The fact that masks were still compulsory back then makes everyday life easier for him.
A routine check then reveals that the CVM virus is exploiting its weakness.
"Fortunately, the doctors noticed it early on."
Nevertheless, there are anxious days again and fear for the donor organ.
It makes it clear why the 49-year-old still likes to wear a protective mask when shopping: "It's not just about Corona, but any infection that I can catch." Unfortunately, he keeps hearing stupid comments from people about it who don't know his story.
Because the kidney donation will shape his life for the rest of his life.
Take medication on time and drink at least three liters a day.
And stay away from anything that contains grapefruit - because it can cause dangerous interactions with his medication.
»But not having to have dialysis anymore is just nice.
It's a whole different life."
Jens Schad has an obligation to take care of his kidneys and to take advantage of this new opportunity.
'A man died at Christmas.
My thoughts are also with the donor's family, even if I don't know them." At the same time, he is grateful that this person decided at some point to become an organ donor: "It's the biggest Christmas present you get can."
