Jim Boyd, Kidney Transplant

A ring of the phone cut through the early morning silence and startled the first deep slumber in a very long time. “We have a kidney waiting,” the familiar voice said. And within minutes, Jim and Donna Boyd were on their way to a life-saving procedure at the University of Tennessee Medical Center that they thought might never come.

In 2001, 58-year-old Jim Boyd, a long-time postal carrier, experienced tremendous pain in his right side that lasted approximately 12 hours. Then, it just suddenly stopped. His diagnoses began with a possible kidney stone and, after an ultrasound, it turned into a life-changing experience.

Jim and Donna, his wife of 35 years, went to see his internal medicine physician, Dr. Doug Davis, a primary care physician, who discovered what looked like clusters of grapes; the pain Jim was feeling was actually caused by cysts bursting. Dr. Davis diagnosed Jim with polycystic kidney disease and referred him to a nephrologist.

Jim saw Dr. Paul Serrell, a nephrologist at UT Medical Center, who monitored Jim’s low-fat and low-salt diet, and blood pressure medications. Jim was at 69% kidney function. “My mom died of this in the ‘70s,” Jim explains. “They said I would be on dialysis within 5 years.” He immediately changed his diet in order to slow down the degeneration.

At about 30% kidney function, he began showing signs of deteriorating health that had his family worried. “We would go to games,” Donna says, “and he couldn’t make it up the incline to the field.”

In August 2006, Jim had a fistula put in place by Dr. Scott Stevens, a vascular surgeon at UT Medical Center. “That was a visual sign that things were changing,” Donna states. “You keep thinking dialysis is so far away, but you have this procedure done to get you started. Each step was such a psychological transition because you are on the path to transplant and recovery yet his kidneys are failing and dialysis is a reality.”

The Boyds began the road towards a kidney transplant, which included Donna being tested to be a donor. Although Donna was turned down as a donor, Jim remains eternally grateful for her unselfish gesture. “I really needed to have her help me get through this,” he says with emotions rising. Looking at her proudly and taking her hand, he adds, “I wouldn’t have made it without my wife. She stood by me through my darkest days, and I will always be grateful.”

Jim took a light-duty postal assignment, which he believed he would only need for two months. His two months turned into two years, at which time he was at 10% kidney function. “I could barely show up for work,” he explains. “I was so sick and still trying to keep my ‘normal’ life, but it wasn’t normal. I would wake up after eight hours of sleep and need a nap immediately.”

By November of 2006, Jim had to begin dialysis. “I wanted to resist it, but I knew it was life-threatening,” Jim said. “I had thought that I had years before I would have to worry.”

Jim began his dialysis schedule that required him to be at the clinic three days a week. This was hard on the entire family and Jim, a strong husband and father, now withdrawn and tired, was no longer independent and required his family’s assistance. The clinic staff had made a lasting impression on the Boyd’s. “I could call them and ask them for anything if I ever had questions,” he says. “They never made me feel bad. They just said, ‘We love you. We know you’re having a hard time. And we are here for you.’ That truly helped get me through.”

While on dialysis, Jim utilized the staff nutritionist and complied with his diet, which is a critical element to dialysis. “You’ve really got to watch your salt and keep your potassium in balance,” Jim explains. “You have to pay attention to what you eat. All of a sudden it’s really critical to how you’re going to dialyze and how you are going to feel by what you are putting in your body.”

The Boyd’s then were offered the chance to use a technology that allowed Jim to dialyze at home with Donna’s help rather than coming in to the clinic. Jim met the criteria, and they were trained to use this treatment. Although Donna was always on alert and had to be ready in case there was an emergency, the home treatment did allow the Boyd’s to get back a little bit of their “previous life,” which included traveling.

Jim was evaluated by Dr. Oscar Grandas, a vascular surgeon at UT Medical Center and, once Jim met the criteria, he was able to be listed on the transplant waiting list. In April 2008, Jim received a call from Susan Noe, RN, a nurse in the Center for Transplant Services at UT Medical Center, who played a key role in Jim’s journey. “I was second in line for a kidney that night, so I came in to the medical center and was tested in case I would be the recipient,” Jim explains.

The Boyd’s went home to wait for a call that would either tell him the kidney would be his or it wouldn’t. Jim went home and prayed. “I prayed for the individual in the number-one slot. I thanked God for letting that person have that gift. And I thanked Him for remembering me, and that gave me more hope that I even made the list.”

At 4:30 a.m., the Boyd’s received that life-changing call. “We have a kidney waiting,” that familiar voice was Noe’s. She greeted them when they arrived at UT Medical Center and ushered him off to prep for surgery.

Dr. Grandas performed the successful kidney transplant that made Jim quickly feel better. “I remember waking up and Dr. Grandas standing at the foot of the bed grinning from ear to ear,” Jim says. “I laid my head back down and thought, ‘If he’s smiling, then I know I’m smiling.’ Three days later I started feeling different, like the fog was lifting. Post-op care in the transplant unit was exceptional. The physicians and nursing staff all the way through to the dietary staff was exceptional.”

Jim remained in the hospital for five days (a typical stay may be anywhere from five to 10 days). He worked with Dr. Jeffrey Hecht, board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, for his physical therapy. Jim began walking regularly with Donna, and he responded very well.

“The team was really important to me,” he says through grateful tears of joy and true appreciation for the entire care team at the Center for Transplant Services. “You don’t realize all of the components of the team until you get in here. The care that I was given, the education that I was given and the support was wonderful. I have so much respect for the program they put together here because they have not forgotten any components.”

Jim and Donna both have their lives back better than ever. Jim has returned to work as a postal carrier on his previous route with pride and a desire to set a good example for his children and other transplant recipients.

Jim and Donna both thank the teamwork of UT Medical Center physicians and staff that coordinated and communicated with each other to make the treatment process easier on both of them. “They were our lifeline,” Donna said. “The team concept and interaction really works.”

Jim now enjoys walking his old mail route full time and being back with his family that supported him through his transplant.

“I wouldn’t have made it through without my wife,” Jim said. “But I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to the team. I would recommend UT Medical Center above any other clinic. I couldn’t have had better care anywhere.”