Kidney Transplant Gives Jamont Clayton Newfound Freedom
“My nurses were very knowledgeable and always made sure I knew what was going to happen." - Jamont Clayton
Three days a week, three hours a day, for 12 years—Jamont Clayton spent roughly 5,616 hours of his life attached to a kidney dialysis machine.
He was working two jobs, and managing his kidney disease had become a third. If he wasn’t working or at the dialysis center, he was sleeping to recover. But on March 11, 2017, Jamont broke free. That’s the day he received his new kidney at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City.
That day marked an important milestone for Saint Luke’s as well. Jamont’s surgery was number 1,600 for the Saint Luke’s kidney transplant team.
Saint Luke’s performed Kansas City’s first kidney transplant in 1969, making it the oldest and most experienced program in the region. That expertise was clear from the start.
“I had a good experience with Saint Luke’s,” Jamont says. “My nurses were very knowledgeable and always made sure I knew what was going to happen. They were wonderful.”
“It’s an impressive milestone for our team, says Lee Cummings, MD, surgical director of the Saint Luke’s Kidney Transplant Program. “We are proud and honored to have helped each of our patients overcome kidney disease and get back to living their lives. We are also thankful for our donors and their families. Without their gifts, transplants wouldn’t be possible.”
Following recovery, Jamont’s goal was to return to his job at Bishop Spencer Place, where he drives residents to appointments and activities. Before that, though, he spent all that free time catching up on some work around the house.
“I’ve cleaned the garage, worked in the yard, and cleaned out the basement,” he says. “I’ve probably done too much, but I’m working to build up my stamina.”
His wife of two years, Freedom, has bigger plans in mind for all the time they’ll have in the future.
“I want to travel somewhere tropical, maybe Jamaica, so we can have our delayed honeymoon without worrying about how close we are to a dialysis center,” she says.
Sounds to us like a great way to burn up all that new free time.