ELIZABETH, NJ — Carlos Vasquez, 38, of Elizabeth, has a hopeful future, thanks to his mother.
On Wednesday, March 1, he had a successful kidney transplant surgery performed at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. His donor was his mother, Daisy Vasquez, 59, of Elizabeth.
From childhood, Carlos had a great relationship with his mother. Since his father worked as a truck driver and was not around much, Carlos’s early childhood memories focused on being with his mother.
“Carlos is my third child,” Daisy said. “He’s been a good kid. Never got into trouble. He likes being home.”
Life was normal for Carlos. He worked consistently. He was always active, going to the gym, going out with friends, watching movies with his girlfriend, Amy Fernandez, and having fun.
Then it all started with headaches, which grew more intense and more frequent. Carlos never got an annual check-up. Since he always went to the gym, he thought he was healthy. Headaches worsened and the only thing that helped was hot showers. “Every two hours I’d hop in the shower to bring down the pressure,” he expressed. “This isn’t normal.”
When Carlos began spitting up blood clots, he went to Urgent Care, where he saw many doctors and ear, nose and throat specialists. After having a computerized tomography or CAT scan of his sinuses, Carlos learned they were all blocked up, which caused the pressure. He had been taking 1,000 milligrams of Advil and it just stopped working. “I was damaging my kidneys, taking Advil,” he said.
Surgery helped relieve the head pressure and the doctors were able to unclog the sinus area a little bit, but the area was so infected, they had to go back to the drawing board to find out why there was so much infection. His legs also began to feel heavy and swollen.
It turned out, Carlos was in renal failure. He had to go to the emergency room.
“The world turned upside down,” Daisy said. “When he started getting headaches, I thought it was allergies; a simple thing that was gonna be fixed.”
It was not simple. Carlos had a rare autoimmune condition called Wegener’s vasculitis, also known as granulomatosis with polyangiitis. This is an uncommon disorder that causes inflammation of the blood vessels in your nose, sinuses, throat, lungs and kidneys. The condition attacked his kidneys. “I never heard the word ‘vasculitis’ before,” Daisy said. “It turned out to be very serious and deadly. It set back Carlos — a lot.”
Carlos was on dialysis at least four or five times a week. For a while, he did OK without dialysis, but when things took a turn for the worse again, Carlos had a choice — a kidney implant or go back on dialysis.
“Knowing my dad, he’d give me both of his kidneys,” Carlos said.
Unfortunately, his father is a diabetic and UNOS, the organization responsible for organ donation in the United States, will not allow people with diabetes to donate. “My mom hopped in the driver’s seat,” he said. “She cares about me a lot. She’s always there for me.”
Daisy thought she was too old to donate a kidney to her son, but she was told it didn’t play a factor. She would go through a series of tests to see if she was healthy enough to live without one kidney. “We’ll put it in God’s hands,” she said.
Last year, the day before Thanksgiving, Daisy received the call that she would be able to be a donor for her son and they set a date for the surgery.
While Daisy is an active person and in good health, she also decided to lose weight prior to the surgery. She lost 20 pounds. After the transplant, she continues to take care of herself. “I feel fantastic,” she said. “I am back to doing all the normal things I used to do. Some days, I forget I donated a kidney. Doctors told me I’m doing very well. I have to take care of my kidney and I want it to last. I drink lots of water. Kidneys love water.”
Daisy’s goal is to stay in good health. “I want to tell as many people as I can about organ donation — that it’s possible. One person can enhance the life of others.”
As for Carlos, his mother said, “It hasn’t all been easy. It’s a lot better than before. He’s in a better place. Living on dialysis is not easy. We don’t want to sugar coat it.”
But the future looks hopeful. “He’s a very happy guy,” Daisy said. “He’s just trying to regain his health. It’s a work in progress.”
Carlos is equally as hopeful as his mother. “It’s a major surgery. Recovery is tough. It feels like you got hit by a train,” he expressed. “You can live a normal life. Right now, I’m going through a rough patch. I’m banking on the future. I’ve got a supportive family and girlfriend.”
Photo Courtesy of NJ Sharing Network