Save Joe with your spare kidney!
Joe Fitch, 55, father of two from Pennsylvania is in dire need of a living kidney donor. Joe was diagnosed with a kidney problem after an operation on his back at the age of 23. Following a kidney biopsy, doctors told Fitch he had one of the most common kidney diseases, more often found in white men, called Berger’s Disease and it was manageable. IgAN or Berger’s disease is a short form of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy – a condition that damages the glomeruli inside your kidneys and can cause kidney disease. Immunoblobulin A is a protein that helps our body fight infections. IgA nephropathy occurs when IgA protein gets stuck in the kidneys causing inflammation. The inflammation causes our kidneys to leak blood and protein. Over the course of many years our kidney can lose function and lead to kidney failure. In the past year, Joe entered the advanced stages of IgA Nephropathy which has now led to end stage renal failure. Joe’s kidneys are only 15% operational. Joe is now on dialysis three days a week for several hours a day.
Flitch himself, his fiance Wendy and his children are trying to harness the power of social media and other methods like decals on family cars, posters in local businesses and anything else to find a donor soon. Right now, Fitch is hoping that a stranger with an A or O blood type can step up to offer a spare organ. If you’re in good health with A or O blood type and have the desire to save a life, please email fitchjoseph635@gmail.com or call 215-292-4727. Save One Person. Save The World.
