Golden Kidney

Most mothers are thankful when their sons give them flowers, perfume, or chocolates, but, Marie Fay of Eunice, is especially thankful for her son giving her a “golden kidney.”
Marie Fay’s kidney transplant journey started 12 years ago, as she knew that her kidneys were damaged due to high blood pressure that wasn’t managed after she gave birth to her first child 44 years ago.
She started with symptoms of swelling in her ankles, and a routine blood work test showed her creatin levels were elevated. That’s when she sat down with her doctor and was told eventually she would need to be put on dialysis while waiting on a kidney transplant.
Five years ago Dr. Randy Miller, her primary doctor, noticed her creatin levels starting to increase while doing routine blood work. Miller recommended she make an appointment with Dr. Paul Miller who is a kidney specialist in Opelousas.
Dr. Paul Miller started Fay on routine blood work every six months to monitor her creatin levels. Marie’s levels stayed around the 2.8 to 3.2 range for a couple of years. During this time she was put on a diet to try and remove all salt from her diet. She also had to remove all foods containing potassium which could further damage her kidneys.
Her blood test showed in January of 2015 that her creatin levels had jumped to an alarming level and she was told that dialysis and a transplant were soon to come.
In early May, Dr. Paul Miller made an appointment for her at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans with the kidney transplant team.
On June 2, Marie, along with her sister, Bonnie Voinche, and her son, Tommy, traveled to Ochsner Hospital for a six-hour meeting with the transplant department. During that time Fay was set up with a transplant coordinator who would handle coordinating all of her appointments and tests she would need in the upcoming weeks. During the meeting they decided to send her to the lab and they pulled 25 vials of blood from her to start the process.
Next, they were instructed to watch a video in order to educate them on the process she and her donor would be going through leading up to and after the surgery. It was also decided on this day that her son Tommy Fay would start the process and test to see if he would be a compatible match for donation. During this time, Fay was given a list of different tests she needed to complete before she could be accepted to the kidney transplant list. This was important because once accepted she could begin looking for a donor.
Once Fay was cleared and accepted onto the list her son could begin the process of testing to see if he would be a match for his mom.
Tommy said, “At this point we were told by the nephrologist that was assigned to her case that it would be a long shot and more than likely her son wouldn’t be a good match. Normally a son is not a match for their mom because during that pregnancy the mom’s body builds up an antibiotic that later in life makes their blood incompatible.
Tommy started his testing which consisted of blood work and two weeks later he got the call that he was a good match for his mom. Tommy immediately made a phone call to his mom giving her the great news.
He said, “That was probably the most emotional phone conversation either of us have ever had. It was filled with lots of joy and tears for both of us. There had been such an emotional roller coaster ride filled with many ups and downs just to get to this point. By this time we were both mentally and physically drained.
After all the testing was completed, the transplant team called with a surgery date of October 29. “We were both ecstatic. We finally had a date and it was going to happen,” Tommy said.
The day of surgery Tommy was taken first. “When my kidney was removed, mom was already in the next operating room ready to receive as she calls it “her golden kidney”. Tommy’s surgery took four hours, and his moms surgery took 3-1/2-hours. Both surgeries were successful.
Marie’s life changing experience was one she is grateful and thankful for, and she added,”Going through this process is something no one can do alone.
“I quickly learned how important it is to have family members willing to step up and help me to get through this. I am so grateful to have my sister, Bonnie. She was there for me from the beginning. I am also grateful for my daughter, Kathleen, who has been there taking care of things at home while I have been in the hospital. On Oct. 28, my other sister, Linda Pagles, flew in from New Mexico and surprised me.
“With all of this help and support from my family, I really believe this is the reason my recovery is going so well. I also would like to thank my daughter-in-law Gina Fay. I know this has been tough on you but I want you to know I love you and thank you for supporting Tommy and I throughout this process.
Marie has been staying at the Brent House which is a hotel attached to Ochsner Hospital. She will have to stay there for 20 days because of all the appointments and blood work that needs to be done. “The amount of medication I am on is overwhelming. I have to take 15 different pills in the morning and 12 at night. Every morning and night I have to take my blood pressure, weight and temperature. Every ounce of fluid in and out needs to be measured and recorded to make sure the kidney is functioning properly.”
Each day Marie feels her health improving. She said, “My diet has changed so drastically that it is hard to eat foods that have been restricted for so long. I have to keep reminding myself it is okay now to eat those things.
For the next three months, Marie cannot be around crowds, nor have physical contact with anyone, such as hugging. She added, “I also cannot be around anyone who has been immunized with a live virus like the flu shot. This is because my immune system has been destroyed and we are in the process of building it back up. For the next two years I will have to do repeated lab work monthly to make sure the kidney stays strong. As for Tommy, nothing will have to change for him. He keeps on living life the same as he always has.
Marie added, “It brings me to tears every time I think of the sacrifice my son and his family had to make to give me this gift of life. I keep thinking that Tommy was inside of me for nine months, and now a part of him will be with me for the rest of my life.
Tommy was thrilled to be able to help his mother in a life-threatening crisis. He said, “When I found out I was a match for my mom I was filled with different emotions ranging from joy and happiness to fear. Once you get a call that all the testing is complete and the surgery is a ‘go’, that is really when reality sets in. Unfortunately, they don’t give you a manual that tells you how to deal with everything that is thrown at you. I made some mistakes along the way and took some things for granted, but I want my wife to know that I love her and appreciate her standing by my side. I actually think its harder on the spouse than the actual donor.”
Tommy was able to return back to his job 10 days after the surgery.
Tommy, 44, is a 1990 Eunice High School graduate, and has been married for the past 14 years to Gina Fay. The couple reside in Gretna and are parents of two children, Kaylee, 13, and Rylee, 11. Tommy is a State Farm agent in Gretna.
Marie, 67, and her late husband, Buddy Fay, were married 38 years before his death in September 2006. The Fays have two children Tommy and Kathleen Harper of Eunice. Marie is the grandmother of four grandchildren, Tyler Fontenot, Karey Fontenot, Kaylee Fay and Rylee Fay.