Hereditary Disease Leads to Kidney Transplant

Jan Blaylock’s life mission is to beat PKD.

But when you’re fighting a genetic disorder that causes cysts to grow in your kidneys—so many that they eventually overrun the organ and can cause renal failure, it’s difficult to officially “win.”

Polycystic kidney disease, or PKD, is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases that affects about 12.5 million people worldwide. There’s no cure, and doctors can’t predict PKD’s severity from patient to patient. So for folks like Blaylock, the battle often becomes just a matter of not letting PKD get the best of them.

 And that’s what Blaylock has done for 39 years since being diagnosed at age 21. With a diligent diet and plenty of exercise, she managed chronic high blood pressure to minimize kidney damage.

Blaylock’s fight is personal: PKD took the lives of her mother and older brother—both at age 50. Her younger brother, 55, who underwent a kidney transplant in 1995, is currently on dialysis and awaiting another transplant.

For five years, Blaylock coped with stage 4 renal failure (stage 5 is the worst). But in December 2011, at age 59, she’d reached the point where her kidney function dropped to 18 percent. She needed dialysis or a new kidney.

“I saw what my mom went through with dialysis and didn’t want that,” said Blaylock. “I always thought, ‘I’m going to take care of myself and ride this kidney out.’”

 But PKD had other plans.

All in the family

Lucky for Blaylock, her family doctor, Thomas Crouch, M.D., a board-certified nephrologist, was medical director of Saint Luke’s Kidney Transplant Program. It’s the region’s oldest and most experienced program.

Still fighting

Today, Blaylock continues her healthy lifestyle—eating a no-added-salt diet and exercising regularly. She avoids germs by wearing a mask while flying and washing her hands diligently. And she follows a strict twice-daily regimen of anti-rejection medications.

But PKD is never far from mind.

Both of her adult children underwent genetic testing, and her 26-year-old son Brandon tested positive for PKD.

Although the thought of her son battling the disease breaks her heart, she remains positive.

“I just told him to take good care of himself and do whatever Dr. Crouch says to make his kidneys last longer,” said Blaylock. “His attitude is, ‘Don’t worry mom—if you made it to 60, I’m going to make it to 90!’”

And it just might happen. Brandon’s a fighter—just like his mom.

 

Dr. Crouch cared for Blaylock’s mother, and he’d been her doctor for nearly 40 years. So Blaylock was confident she was in good hands.