Chronic Kidney Disease and Godly Sacrifice with Carol Fitzsimmons

A chance hello by a riverside turned into a testimony of courage. Meet Carol Fitzsimmons, "Dory"—former teacher, award-winning swimmer, kidney transplant recipient—whose life was reshaped by a friend who said yes to donating and a faith that would not let go. From teenage fatigue and a frightening diagnosis of chronic glomerulonephritis to late‑night home dialysis and the moment a colleague offered her kidney, this is a journey where medicine meets miracle and community turns pain into purpose.

We walk through the realities most people never hear about: why transplants are treatment rather than cure, how anti‑rejection meds can create new challenges, and what long‑term care looks like for chronic kidney disease. Dory is honest about grief—the loss of her infant son, a marriage that unraveled under stress, and stepping away from a career she loved. She also shares the spark that pulled her forward: discovering the Transplant Games, training in the pool, and finding a global family of recipients, living donors, and donor families who understand the cost and the gift of a second chance.

If you’ve wondered how to support someone with chronic illness, Dory offers clear, compassionate guidance: listen without fixing, encourage consistently, and pray specifically. And if you’ve ever considered organ donation, you’ll learn how one decision can save up to eight lives, restore sight to two, and enhance dozens more through tissue donation. We talk practical steps for registering, why telling your family matters, and how faith, movement, and community keep hope alive on the hardest days.

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Christians With Chronic Illnesses' episodes will release every 2nd and 4th Sunday! We hope to interview more of you as we are able. Your followings, ratings, and subscriptions keep this show going, so THANK YOU! Stay tuned for further announcements.

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Chapters

• 0:34 Meet Dory
• 4:13 Early Faith Roots And Teen Diagnosis
• 9:13 Crisis, Dialysis Decision, And Surgery
• 14:13 The Donor Who Said Yes
• 20:39 Grief, Donor Families, And Why Donation Matters
• 26:39 Understanding CKD, Transplants, And Meds
• 33:49 Sports, Swimming, And Transplant Games
• 42:09 Setbacks, Anemia Scare, And Resilience
• 48:39 Advocacy, Faith, And Practical Hope
• 54:49 How To Register As An Organ Donor
• 58:49 Final Encouragement

Transcript

L. A.: 0:34

I'm your Jesus loving and POTSie host, L. A Sprague Welcome to Christians with Chronic Illnesses. Dory! Hey! Oh my goodness, hey! Dude, this is so exciting! Thank you so much for being able to interview with me. This is so fun. Oh, I'm so excited. Oh, me too. How's your day going?

Carol (Dory): 1:15

Oh, really good. I did my swimming. I took a little rest. I worked outside. It's a beautiful day here. So yeah, how about you?

L. A.: 1:25

I'm good. I'm I'm very tired today, but I was like, I'm gonna do this interview. I'm pushing through. So yeah.

Carol (Dory): 1:33

Don't give it up here, girl.

L. A.: 1:35

Oh, thanks so much. Aww. Yeah, thanks so much for being willing to interview with me. Dude, I thought it'd be so fun if we started by telling the story of how we met. So I kind of want to hear it from your perspective because I know my perspective, but I want to hear it. So much. Okay. So how is it from your perspective?

Carol (Dory): 1:59

First of all, before I start, do you go by Leah Ann or Leah Ann?

L. A.: 2:02

Leah Ann.

Carol (Dory): 2:03

Leah Ann. Okay. I don't hear it correctly. And I'm like, it says Leah Ann, but it could be prone pronounced. I don't know.

L. A.: 2:11

Yeah. Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 2:13

What do I know?

L. A.: 2:15

So yeah, maybe go ahead and tell us your name. And then, you know. Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 2:23

Hey everybody. I'm I'm Carol Fitzsimmons, otherwise known as Fishy or Dory. And I had the most wonderful surprise meeting about two weeks ago. Tomorrow, I believe. I was taking myself on a picnic at Mohican State Park after my prayer group, just spending some time with God in nature. One of my favorite things. And another favorite thing I like to do is connect with people. And I saw Leah Ann and her friends sitting on top of the picnic table by the river. And I'm like, hey girls, are you camping? What are you doing? Where are you from? And they told me they were visiting her friends, family from Mansfield nearby. And so I just welcomed them to the hood. And Leah Ann was like, Well, what are you doing here? Are you camping? And I'm like, no, I live like 30 minutes away. And I just come here to talk to God on a regular basis. And they both smiled and they were like, That's so cool. And I'm like, that's not a reaction I often get, but I'll take it. And then I believe you asked me, Leanne, what do I talk to God about? And I said, Well, there are a lot of things weighing heavy on my heart today, a lot of threat, a lot of friends going through issues. I said just a lot of issues. And I said in my own personal health, and then I proceeded to tell you a little bit my about my kidney transplant miracle. And then you said, may I ask you a question? And I'm like, of course. You can ask the dory anything. So she asked me if my kidney transplant had to do anything with a chronic disease. I was like, yes, ma'am, absolutely. A lifelong battle.

L. A.: 4:20

Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 4:21

And then you proceeded to tell me that you were starting this podcast on Christians with chronic diseases. And my mouth went from a dory mouth into a large mouth bass. That's what I remember.

L. A.: 4:39

Yeah, that's awesome. That's I love hearing your perspective. That's so cute. And it was actually like heartwarming to hear, like, oh wow, like that was actually no, that's a good conversation. Yeah, okay. So that's so cute because okay, so from from my perspective, me and my roommate we were just swimming, and at one point you were at one table by the swimming area. We were me and her moved to a table to dry off, and you had walked over and you were like taking a picture with of like the river or something, but you looked like strangely like closed. And so I was like, okay, either this person's like socially awkward or they like want to talk to us. So I wasn't sure. I was like, either she's like just you know here or she's like trying to strike up conversation, and it turns out it was right on the second because then you like, you know, it's so cute because you just started chatting with us and asking how we're doing, and you asked, like, what you can pray for us about that really like took us. Yeah, because we were like, like, we really know this girl, but yeah, it was actually so sweet, and so yeah, I think all the rest is what you just said, but I just think it's so funny because initially I was like, Who is this lady? And then it was like actually a really cool, wholesome experience, and here we are. And Dory, I just think it's so cool because like this idea of this podcast has been in my head since probably around like last December, December of 2024. Um, so I've been slowly like doing research and like just thinking about doing this for my health and also for other Christians with chronic illnesses, and so meeting you like such like a divide moment, you know, kind of thing, and it really felt like God is like girl, like you can do this. So yeah, so you're such a sweet provision. So thanks for meeting with me. Yeah, is this the first one? No, so you're the second recorded. Well, technically, I also recorded mine as well, so technically the third, but I interviewed Keith Sciarillo first, so yeah, I'm sure you'll see his interview soon. But you're the first person with chronic kidney disease. But why don't you, yeah, why don't you tell me first about yourself and about your faith in Jesus? What's your journey been like?

Carol (Dory): 7:01

Oh man, well, you know, I am one of those blessed people who was raised in a family where I was taught the love of the Lord from day one. And I love that you framed that as a blessing. That's cool. You know, I think about the law, it's like, you know, that blessing to have had the Lord in my life. And but it's like my my experience and my relationship with him has continued to grow and through through having a chronic kidney disease and being diagnosed with kidney failure when I was 17, that relationship just grew and grew because I had to have I had to have the hope, because if you don't have the hope of Jesus and of healing, like whatever way he may choose to do it in in your life, because I believe there's many ways he chooses to do that. And I I just feel like without my faith, I would not be where I am today. Like I may have given up because it took me from the time I was diagnosed with kidney failure, which was I was a senior starting my senior year of high school, so I was seven years old. Probably had it my whole life, dealt with fatigue my whole life. I couldn't do things other kids were doing. I was you know, small town swim team in the summers, and I always came in last. And you know, it didn't matter how hard I tried. But finally, my parents took me to a doctor, they discovered it was kidney failure, and I had 50% function at that time. Moving forward the clock, it wasn't until I was 36 that I received my transplant. So yeah, so very progressive disease with fatigue being the main thing. Eventually, in two in the spring of 2000, they had to remove my three of my parathyroids, uh parathyroidectomy, say that three times fast. Okay, yeah, don't I nearly died from that surgery because that controlled body, and I was sent home too soon and I could not absorb the calcium quick enough to replace what the parathyroids do. And how old were you at that point? I was 35.

L. A.: 9:24

So almost sight at 35.

Carol (Dory): 9:26

Yeah, that that was at 35, and I was squatted back to the hospital, which is an hour and a half from my home, twice because I the second time it happened to me, I knew you're going back for Ivy drugs because anyway. So what that resulted in when I went back to the hospital, my kidney doctor came in. He said, This is it, this is the last straw. You have to go on dialysis. This is an emergency. You have less than 2%, maybe 1% kidney function.

L. A.: 9:59

Wow.

Carol (Dory): 10:00

Yeah. So I mean, I was just kind of being like I knew I had it, but it kind of put it off and not really dial, but kind of like, you know, I got this. I'm still teaching full time. I'm, you know, I'm living my life. I'm tired, and I know it's really gross, but I puke myself silly, like just nauseous and just not up to par. Like I knew things were going on, but after that surgery went wrong, it's like it took a the final toll on myself. So I remember being in the hospital. I'm like, Lord, don't let them do the surgery tomorrow because they chose to do peritoneal dialysis, which is entry in your abdominal region, and you literally have to have this two or three foot hose connected to your body and like taped to you. Wow. A transplant. So that that was like the stark reality. Like, yeah, it was like I knew I was told back when I was 17 I was going to need a transplant at some time, but I didn't know what that meant. I was like, whatever, you know, you were young. Yeah, I'm like, you know, my pastor, you know, prayed for me, laid hands on me, even even back then. And I took faith in that. I, you know, I understood a little bit, but not to the full extent until you're actually in it. And I just remember praying that, you know, like I didn't want to go through it, but if if you if the Lord knows how to heal me, or if this is the treatment I need, let it go well. And at about that same I so I had the surgery, I went back to work. At the time I was teaching special needs preschool in a sort of a rotation basis. I was going to all the different preschools in my little area of Mount Vernon, Ohio here. My very I my very first student I had was placed in a little county preschool. And the teacher there, her name was Janet. So we kind of worked hand in hand. I came came in and helped one-on-one with the special needs children, and the regular teacher. So I would go to different, all different preschools, like maybe 15 different sites every every week. Yeah. So one day, this was shortly after I had the surgery for the dialysis and was starting the training and everything. And the name of the school was New Hope. You can't make that up. And I had known her like for nine months, and she says, one day on the playground, we're you know, just out watching the kids play, and she says, I want to be tested to be your kidney donor. And again, my mouth flew open, and I remember the exact moment. You know, this is 25 years ago, and I'm like, Wow, nobody's talking about this, you know, people aren't asking for for organ donation like they do now, like really common to let a transplant, things like that. But back then, it's like I didn't even have email yet. So a cell phone for that matter. It's like, you know, yeah, and I'm just looking at her like, what are you crazy? Like you've never had surgery in your life, and you want to give up a major part. And she's like, she's like, Yes, I love you. You're my friend. She's like, I want you to I want you to feel better. I'm like, feel better. Oh my gosh, you would save my life. Yeah, so we went for all the testing.

L. A.: 13:44

You would literally save my life. Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 13:46

Literally, and you know, I still look back sometimes and it's just like hard to believe because you know, I waited all this time, and here I am on the transplant list. And typically the transplant list can take a minimum of five years because the waiting list is so long. And I am I was just like dumbfounded, yeah. But at the same time, like thinking, whoa, god, this is like amazing. And then she was the only one tested, she was nearly a perfect match.

L. A.: 14:24

Wow, Nori, that's incredible.

Carol (Dory): 14:25

I know. So thankfully the dialysis only went on six months for me. Wow. And the surgery went beautifully. She did great, she's still doing great. And the life I have lived since transplant, the people I've met, the things I've been able to do. I I wouldn't wish kidney failure, organ failure, any disease on anyone, but it is also it's like definitely turning lemons into lemonade because I cannot imagine my life without my huge transplant family, which you have yet to hear about.

L. A.: 15:08

So yeah.

Carol (Dory): 15:15

So yeah, I think our best joke all these years is her kidney has been in so many more bathrooms than the rest of her all over the world.

L. A.: 15:26

That's funny, yeah. I love that, yeah.

Carol (Dory): 15:30

And I'm also kind of dyslexic because her left kidney's on my right side, and I vote opposite, which is pretty funny. Wow, yeah, I know. Wow, that's so funny, dude. And like, you know, faith is like like it's just God's love and you know, the Lord Jesus, they're just the thing that has been my rock, you know, even though I do stupid things and right he says you shouldn't do sometimes, you know, but yeah. Uh yeah, it's like it's I became like this whole new person. Like most of my life, I was believe it or not, really shy.

L. A.: 16:47

Yeah, that is that is surprising.

Carol (Dory): 16:49

Yeah, people are like, Were you a cheerleader in high school? I'm like, I'm like, I was just the good little, you know, good little student, you know, worked hard, but things didn't come easy, but I did well because I worked hard.

L. A.: 17:06

Right, yeah.

Carol (Dory): 17:07

You know, I was the babysitter for all the coaches. I was the little front row Lutheran, you know. I actually did sit in the second row, but most people are called back row Lutherans, but anyway.

L. A.: 17:17

That's funny. You were the front row. You were the front row, though.

Carol (Dory): 17:21

I'm like, no, you're right up in front, you're gonna pay attention, you know. But I'm again, I'm so grateful for that background. That's what led me to wanting to be a teacher. I ended up getting my college degree in Christian education and also in elementary education with a master's in teaching children with special needs and early childhood. Yeah, and I did that for many, many years, continued it 17 years after transplant. After transplant, it would have been curtains for me. Like, I don't know how much longer I could have made it, and I don't know honestly how long my weight would have been on the list. And another cool thing about having a living donor is you can you can be assured of a really, really good match because you can do more testing and you have obviously you can background and yeah and all of that cool stuff, and then where I was going with that.

L. A.: 18:24

No, that's okay. That's okay. Well, that's all I'm sorry, yeah. That's so beautiful. So I have a few questions. So I I what I want to get to is that I remember you had told me at one point that you want to emphasize the hope that faith gives you. Before we get to that though, I would love to hear your your journey. So you said that you were really fatigued and you mentioned a lot of symptoms like as a kid, like you know, when you were like swimming, you could hardly keep up even though you tried your hardest, and you have like sounds like chronic fatigue, like your whole life. So, what was like the process of getting diagnosed? What were some of the signs that your parents were finally like, all right, we have to take you to the doctor?

Carol (Dory): 19:09

A lot of it was it was like I had to go to bed really early. Like, I mean, what teenager goes to bed at 8 30, 9 o'clock at night?

L. A.: 19:18

Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 19:19

Yeah.

L. A.: 19:20

Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 19:21

And I just I just didn't have the energy. I'm not sure exactly, but I know they first took me to a urologist because my dad had had problems in that area. So that out, and then when they did all the icky urine tests and all the blood tests, they sent me to the nephrologist, and that's you know, I'm 17 years old, and they're telling me you're going to need a transplant. We don't know when, it could be next week, it could be 20 years. I mean, you know, that's a lot to take in for a year old. And then they also said, and it was heartbreaking the first time I heard this, that you really should never have children because pregnancy is so hard on your kidneys as a regular functioning person, that if you if you have a child and you go through pregnancy, then you could lose your wife, you could lose your baby. There's just so many risk, so many high, high risk. And again, that broke my heart because being a Christian camp counselor, wanting to be a teacher, yeah. Um, you know, and then my my parents' reaction was kind of like, well, maybe you should go into something like accounting so you won't be so stressed. So and you know, I was good at that because my mom was into she was a bookkeeper for a long time. She didn't anyway. So my freshman year of college, even though I wanted to be a teacher, I kind of went in with the business major. And I knew, especially after I worked at the camp the following summer as well, I'm like, that's not for me.

L. A.: 21:06

Not what you really wanted.

Carol (Dory): 21:08

I have to be with the young children. That that's what I want to do. And I'm not going to, I'm not like something in my mind told me, don't cave. Yeah. With a strong mother, that was very hard, but you know, yeah. I convinced them and you know, went on went on with my education and and the fact that I made it through all that and lost so many years, and you know, I was able to get married. I did, we did get pregnant. Well, I didn't, but right. Yeah, and unfortunately, one of the the biggest how do I want to say heartbreaking things about my kidney failure was that was in 1991, but my my kidney failure did c cause me to go into very early labor, like four months early. Wow. We had named Benathan because it means gift from God. Was born four months early. He weighed 14 ounces, fit in the palm of my hand, and he lived 49 minutes because 34 years ago they were not even attempting to save babies that weighed under a pound. That was just a vote. Yeah, I don't know what it is right now, but and I do remember I wanted to donate his little organs to save another baby because I knew I had the kidney issues, but they explained to me that he was just too small. Yeah today, it's like I so wish I could be a donor of family and you know honor, honor have something good come out of a tragedy, right? That that's one of the other amazing factors of organ donation is because obviously if you need a heart or lungs, and some Indies come from deceased donors and also livers most of the time. And the we call people who have had a family member pass and make that decision to say yes to organ donation, we call those our donor families. And they're very, very special people to me because I I understand both sides of the coin. Yeah, I know what the weight is like to receive an organ. I know I know what it's like if you don't receive an organ because I've had many friends pass while they're waiting. Wow, don't you? Yeah. And I, you know, of course, I knew, you know, the loss of an infant. And it's not always an infant, sometimes it's somebody's mother or sister or brother or cousin or uncle or aunt, or you know, it can be a teenager. But the the fact that one of the things we emphasize with people when we talk to them about making that decision is nothing is going to change your tragedy. But out of that tragedy, God has made our bodies that so that we can have the potential. One person can save eight lives via organ donation. They can also give sight through corneas to two people. How cool is that? A lot of people don't know this, but you can enhance the lives of 75 plus people through tissue donation. Yes. Wow. Like yeah, bones in the neck, bones in the back sometimes come from deceased donors. Babies that are born with cleft palettes receive special tissue. They use that to repair the baby's cleft palate. And they also use, and it sounds gross, but it I mean, you're gone. Your body is, you know, not your soul. So your your skin is used for extreme germ victims. Wow. And it's just the whole the whole thing that you know, you can make that choice to be a part of that miracle.

L. A.: 25:27

Yeah. Yeah, it's so incredible we can even do that. Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 25:30

Yeah, it is, it's it's just incredible. And it's, you know, I tell people like when you get to heaven, the Lord says you're getting a whole new body. It's a spiritual body. It's not gonna be, you know, you're not gonna be broken, you're not gonna be having pain. You're I don't know.

L. A.: 25:44

Hallelujah. Yes, no more fatigue, please, Lord.

Carol (Dory): 25:48

I don't know. You know, what we're gonna look like or whatever. But I know like our spirits are gonna recognize each other, and you know what a cool reunion that will be. And just I I just so passionate about life and that and that that educating people about what it's done for me and the things I've done, the people I've met are incredible.

L. A.: 26:17

Yeah, you're incredible, Dory.

Carol (Dory): 26:20

Oh no, I'm just a little fish in a big pond. Oh my goodness.

L. A.: 26:27

Oh, I think you're pretty incredible. Oh, I think you're incredible too. Thanks. Oh, so okay, so you were 17 and your parents realized, all right, she's going to bed really early. Yeah, and obviously, you know, physically lacking in some way that you were falling behind. They took you to a bunch of different doctors, and finally you were told that you have chronic kidney disease, right?

Carol (Dory): 26:52

Yeah, chronic glomer nephritis. Say it one more time. Chronic glomeral nephritis.

L. A.: 26:58

All right, chronic glomeral nephritis?

Carol (Dory): 27:01

Yes, that means that the little glomeroli are the filters that clean your the that clean your kidneys, clean out the the fluid that passes through your kidneys and cleans um toxins. And my 50% of my filters, my little glomerolites, it's kind of a fun word. How bad is it that I know what that word is? But anyway, yeah, they like had died off and my kidneys were extra small.

L. A.: 27:31

Okay.

Carol (Dory): 27:31

And I'm kind of a small person. My brothers are six five and six seven. I'm five foot three and a half. So yeah, something wrong with this picture. So often, not always, but often, you know, if if you get a kidney failure, especially as a child, you're you you don't grow as tall or as well. These toxins in your body, which also affect your muscles, your eyesight, like your kidneys affect everything. It's absolutely your hearing, like wow. Yeah, like it's just you know, and then you know, once you have one body part that's in failure, it's like, you know, your heart works harder, your lungs.

L. A.: 28:15

Okay.

Carol (Dory): 28:15

I remember waking up. Oh, this was the other sign. I was waking up, I remember even a small child waking up with like extreme pain, like in my legs, like it felt like in my bones, and my parents would come in and like rub them down in the night and and things like that. And I haven't had that since transplant, so that's good. But wow, that's incredible. So one of the signs, and then just being pale.

L. A.: 28:46

Okay, yeah, you know, so it's just because there's a bunch of extra toxins in your body because nephrites, so we said, yeah, no, no, the the glmerolites. Because those are only working 50% of the time or something we said, like 50%. So all the extra tokens, toxins that are affecting the whole rest of your body. Yeah, wow. So that's still sick, yeah. Yeah, my first thought when you said that was that's so complicated. Because you know, if you go to a bunch of different doctors, you go to an eye doctor because you have a problem seeing, you go to hearing doctor, your ear doctor because you have problem hearing, you go to, you know, I don't know, like probably some sort of sort of a oh, what are they called? I don't remember. Muscle doctor because your legs are hurting in the middle of the night. And you and all that from kidney, I can imagine that. Like, I'm so glad. Like, how how long from when your parents went to the doctor the first time to your diagnosis? How long did that take?

Carol (Dory): 29:53

Pretty much the first time that they took me to the kidney doctor, they knew right away.

L. A.: 30:00

Okay, yeah, but that wasn't the first doctor you saw, right?

Carol (Dory): 30:04

Right. First, I started out at a urologist, therapy. They did the testing and realized from my blood values that it was a kidney issue.

L. A.: 30:14

Okay, gotcha.

Carol (Dory): 30:16

They sent me to the University of Cincinnati Kidney Clinic, and I had to go, I've I don't remember how often, but I had to go quite often and get tested. And it was so scary because you would walk into this clinic, and you know, I was from a small town, Indiana, but just across the border, Cincinnati, and you know, it they're going into this clinic where most of the people are like I would describe them as definitely ill, and and you're seeing some of like you're seeing the dialysis machines, yeah. Wow. Man, is this my future? You know, yeah.

L. A.: 30:58

This is sooner than I think it will be. Yeah, that sounds. Scary.

Carol (Dory): 31:03

That just reminded me of something that's gonna blow your mind.

L. A.: 31:07

Okay. Blow my mind away.

Carol (Dory): 31:11

Yeah. So I was in the third grade. My little brother was in kindergarten, and they used to do a thing with Betty Crocker coupons on the top of, you know, like keg mixes and things. They would and like different places would collect them, and then they would get money from these coupons. So we went door to door for I don't know how long, like a year, and we collected all of these coupons. And it was shortly after my diagnosis. My mom had kept this little article. It's my me and my little brother, you know, knocking on the doors. And she's like, you have to read this. And I was like, okay. So I'm reading it, and we had collected coupons for our local county hospital in different county, Indiana. Guess what they bought with those?

L. A.: 32:08

What?

Carol (Dory): 32:10

A dialysis machine. Oh, it's incredible. That was way before diagnosis. Right. Oh. That works in mysterious ways. That just completely That's so wholesome. It's like, whoa, and who knew I was going to need one? Like I did mine at home. I, you know, I did the they didn't have the peritoneal is what they called it then, but the machine I had to hook up to it every night. I had to be on it. Wow.

L. A.: 32:46

So from 17 to what 34, 35?

Carol (Dory): 32:51

Um, no, I didn't start dialysis until actually six months before transplant. Wow. Okay. So I didn't actually cave in, cave in and agree to that until after I know. Until after thyroidectomy that went all crazy. Yeah. It didn't have a choice. It was like, you're not leaving this hospital until you agree to have dialysis, a dialysis port put in. Oh my goodness. Yeah. And I that was in this, I remember the surgery had been on actually a leap year. So February of 2000, I believe. And then it was by March, my spring break here as a teacher. My spring break went through dialysis training. Wow.

L. A.: 33:40

So why were you so hesitant towards dialysis?

Carol (Dory): 33:43

Because I knew it was limiting and I was quite afraid because I didn't really understand what I would be doing. But I mean, I still I did it. I went to work every day and every night for 12 hours. So, you know, if you're getting up at 6 a.m., think about it. You're in bed at 6 p.m. Yeah. So you're stays very short.

L. A.: 34:08

Yeah, tell tell us about dialysis. What is it? How does it work?

Carol (Dory): 34:12

Oh, well, for me, I had the tubes. I didn't have the blood dialysis where you hook up to like go to a center. Okay. I had to do it myself. So I had to train myself to do that at home. And I had to hook up to a machine and I had to put these big bags of fluid. So the fluid basically you put it into your body and then it pulls out your toxins.

L. A.: 34:33

Okay.

Carol (Dory): 34:34

Yeah, it kind of takes the place of your kidney, but it doesn't really do a great job. It doesn't open you alive. Right. Yeah. It just keeps you alive, basically. And you know, if because if I had not done it, I would have been six feet under. Yeah.

L. A.: 34:53

I'm glad that you your stubbornness calmed down for you to be able to say okay.

Carol (Dory): 34:59

It's like good and bad, because that's how I survive a lot of medical junk, you know. I've had 29 surgeries that started with that parathyroide at 29 surgeries.

L. A.: 35:11

Yeah, you know. Okay, so what's that? What's with that? What's all the surgeries? Wow. Is this off because of the chronic kidney disease?

Carol (Dory): 35:19

A lot of them are related. Like I had a detached retina because I was on steroids for so long.

L. A.: 35:25

What? Yeah. Wait, so well, could you not see?

Carol (Dory): 35:29

Like no, like all of a sudden, like on my left eye, I couldn't see. Oh my goodness, story. These I have glaucoma in both eyes, you know, it's it's caused for the medicine, so you trade off some oh right. Yeah, I've had like like urinary tract surgeries, they had like stretched my urethra, but it didn't make me taller, even though I have had to periodically have like kidney biopsies, like sometimes if your if your numbers go wacko, they'll go in with a needle and just make a biopsy of that and check it. I had a tumor in my left ear that grew out of a blood vessel. It was this it came out of nowhere.

L. A.: 36:13

And was that related to medicine or anything, or you don't know?

Carol (Dory): 36:16

Nobody knows. Wow, I hate that. Like it was so ugly, and I'm like, I'm like, people, you gotta get rid of this. This is like yeah, put a chicken growth on my ear. This is disgusting.

L. A.: 36:28

Yeah, right.

Carol (Dory): 36:29

I can't hear well, so yeah, you know, it ended up being just a benign thing. I've had breast lump biopsies, I had six surgeries on my legs, the ablations for blood flow. Wow, yeah, for blood flow, yeah. My blood flow was going down, like my legs were purple-ish. Okay, yeah, like it looked like I had bruises all over my legs, yeah. And it hurt it hurt to stand, and I was teething. Oh my god. And why why was that?

L. A.: 37:07

What was that caused by it?

Carol (Dory): 37:08

Because let's see, 2015. I had the surgery in 16, but 2015 is when I noticed it getting really bad. And I kept asking doctors, and they're like, You're fine. I'm like, I am not fine. So I saw one, I kept I saw an ad for Artemis Vein Center on TV, and I'm like, I'm gonna give them a ringy dingy. And I walked in and he's like, Step up here, and they did this like ultrasound immediately. Like, he's like, I know exactly what your problem is. Your blood's going down at the normal rate, but it's taking three times as long to get back up. So I was having all these severe migraine headaches and like just pain. Yeah. Every time I was standing. So I'm like, something wrong here. And he says, We'll fix that. And so I don't think they call it an ablation. I don't know if it's the same thing as vein stripping, but they went and basically like opened up my veins and told me, he's like, young lady, you're lucky to be alive because this could have caused a stroke. Think about it, your blood flow, not going back up to your heart and your brain and everything. Yeah. Right? It's like, whoa, that you could have had, you know, a stroke. You've, I mean, like he named all these things, and I'm like, oh, well, thank goodness. So I fight because of that, and just other things like taking care of my mama with cancer and things like that. Eventually, in like January 2016, I had to take a medical leave of absence, and I ended up giving my teaching job, it broke my heart, but it was just too much. It was like like the kids were great, all that was wonderful. But you know, between taking care of my mom and just spending hours and hours on you know, paperwork, and like I don't want to do paperwork, I want to be with my kids, I want to do other things, I want to be creative, and yeah, that was that was a really tough time to get through.

L. A.: 39:15

But well, that sounds really difficult. So you had to leave a job that you really enjoyed because of your health and because of taking care of your mom.

Carol (Dory): 39:24

Right, yeah, it was a lot, so but you know, looking back, it's like it gave me like the last year of my mom's life, like literally like a year to spend with her, you know, every day and not be exhausted when I would get there after school.

L. A.: 39:41

Yeah, so a blessing in disguise, sort of.

Carol (Dory): 39:45

Yes, yeah, yes. So, you know, I had to look at it that way. Yeah. Just another thing God allowed me to have, and I think it's pretty special.

L. A.: 39:54

So yeah, I I'm sure there's a lot of stories that you can tell. I mean, I totally relate because so with pots, it's actually interesting that you were talking about the blood flow issue. And the reason that's interesting is because that's exactly what pots is. Pots is where your veins don't constrict enough, they don't constrict tight enough, or there's I don't know, I think there's several kinds of pots, but your blood rests at the bottom of your body, and so it's not getting to your heart and your head, and it's but it's like you know, it's a it's a chronic issue, and there's like no cure for yet, yet. Well, yeah, and so it was interesting to hear you say uh what was that surgery that you that you um they call it an ablation?

Carol (Dory): 40:40

Ablation, okay. That's yeah, and so I don't know if that would help you or not. Right, I don't know.

L. A.: 40:45

And they widened the blood vessels, huh?

Carol (Dory): 40:48

Yeah, I think that's what they did. Like something something do with they go in and do something with the the veins or blood vessels, or I don't know, something. Uh and your migraines went away. I still have them, but that's probably some of that's still kidney disease. Maybe like do you have stage three B kidney disease because I've had my kidney, it'll be 25 years October 6th, which is miraculous. And I get to become a member of the quarter century club.

L. A.: 41:16

That's awesome.

Carol (Dory): 41:17

Yes. Yeah, don't worry.

L. A.: 41:19

It's a very exclusive club. That's awesome.

Carol (Dory): 41:24

I've got another person's parts to get out.

L. A.: 41:27

Yeah, that's incredible. Oh my god. Yeah, so tell me more about the difference between chronic chronic kidney disease and just kidney failure, because you had said in our pre-interview that something like a lot of people misunderstand is like it is exciting, it is wonderful when you get that transplant, but it's not quite the end. So I know you already talked a little bit about like you know, the parts of you that process or supposed to process those toxins. It's like only working part way. So tell us more about what is like chronic kidney disease, and yeah, what's the difference?

Carol (Dory): 42:05

Chronic kidney disease. I don't know if it I don't know if it's always chronic or not. Yeah, but I know mine is. Um yeah, it's because with my with my particular disease, I'll just say use myself as an example. The disease transplant does not go away. With my disease, they left my original kidneys in. And sometimes with other chronic kidney diseases, they'll remove original kidneys because they have and they grow very large, they have to remove them. But with mine, they left them in, they just kind of disconnect one and then they hook up your new kidney, goes in your front lower chondrant, and what I call the bikini zone. So yeah, like most people think they put it in your back. Nope. Um yeah, and one of the cool things about her surgery was my donor and I, Janet, Patrick, were one of the first laparoscopic kidney transplants at the Ohio State University Medical Center. That's cool. Which makes it's it's a lot easier on the donor to go laparoscopic. They don't even do it the old way anymore because they had to literally cut you from the back around to the side to remove to do the nephrectomy to remove the kidney. So, you know, it makes it a lot a lot easier to recover from the surgery, really, for both people, which is great. And what was I gonna say?

L. A.: 43:38

Oh my god. No, that's okay. That's still such a selfless act of her to do. That's incredible. Yeah, okay. So you were talking about the surgery, okay, and where they place things. But what what are what's like the difference maybe between the results of someone, you know?

Carol (Dory): 43:57

Yeah, the thing is is you don't your kidney disease doesn't it doesn't go away because your other kidney is still in your body. And uh what they told me was that disease will oftentimes transfer to the transplanted kidney. No, yeah. So they're not sure if that's exactly what's happening with me, but a lot of times some of the reasons that people need two and three kidney transplants or or more. I have a friend waiting on his fourth, God bless him.

L. A.: 44:32

Wow. Wow.

Carol (Dory): 44:34

There are lots, there are lots of many reasons. Sometimes there's rejection because of the anesthesia you receive when you go through surgeries, and it causes a lot of scar tissue. The medications you take, even though they keep you from rejecting your organ, they also go through all your organs. So they cause damage to your organs. Oh my goodness. Wow. Sometimes recipients will also need a liver transplant because they give you, they try to give you the medicine that goes more through the liver as opposed through the kidney. So or you can get a liver and need a kidney. Like my best friend, the double lung recipient. He's been waiting on a kidney for 14 years. 14 years, yes, and he's had he's had his lungs for 29. Yes. Wow. Yeah, I can't even imagine. He's he's like my he's my hero. Oh yeah. Yeah, so I just I pray for him every day. We met in 2003. So yeah, long, long, long, long friendship, even though he lives in Florida. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mike Jonathan, he's my hero. To go what he's gone through. I'm like, I have been through nothing. I mean, nothing. Yeah, so it's like the medications, going through different surgeries, all of that has an effect on your on your organ and of course your lifestyle. That's and that's another thing that I like to tell people who are struggling with chronic diseases is doing your best to eat healthy, to be active, to get into the word, to get into your faith, to connect with other people, because another part of this whole puzzle is depression and anxiety. And I have had to fight them, you know, you know, losing my only child, never getting to have another one, you know, having my husband walk out, because you know, he just couldn't deal with everything. There's just a lot, there's a lot of rejection, even though I take anti-rejection pills, they're not say no to me. People do anyway. So sometimes, you know, relationships can be strained too. And then you know, sometimes they can be strengthened. It just depends on you know, yeah, your your other person's faith also, so and how you handle stress and how you handle issues. Definitely.

L. A.: 47:13

Yeah, so so how have you found hope through all of that? Because you know, you talked about how you've lost a job, you've lost relationships, you know, you've lost some quality of life, like you're tired, you know. So how how does Jesus give you hope in all of this? What on a day-to-day basis when you're having symptoms or when you have someone walk out, or when you have people who misunderstand?

Carol (Dory): 47:39

It's it's just like this inner strength that I feel from the Lord, like when I read the word, I'm in an ancestory prayer group. You know, most of my friends are Christians and we pray for each other, we're very open about our faith. And I try to do a lot of like giving back. Like I serve as a donate, donate life ambassador for Lifeline of Ohio. And what we do is we educate people about the facts and myths of organ donation. And we go, we go to fairs, churches, groups, schools, you know, teaching kids what it means to say yes when you sign up to be an organ donor in your license. It's like that's now a law in Ohio. They have to be taught what that means because they're being asked that question and they don't have a clue what it means. So we give them real life examples and I encourage them to. Sometimes in public schools, I do it anyway.

L. A.: 48:44

Talk about the Lord.

Carol (Dory): 48:45

Yeah. I'm like, I'm not gonna leave it out. My like my faith is my story, but yeah, I'm not crazy or anything, but I just include that. And you know, a big part of my message is you know, if you had someone in your life that you loved that was dying because they needed an organ, number one, would you want them to receive an organ from another person to keep them alive? And if you could keep them alive, would you keep them alive? Whoa. Or if you needed to be kept alive, would you want someone to say yes for you? Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, and you know, there's no greater love than he laid down a friend. Yeah, that's the verse I connect with with my donor Janet because she literally did that. Oh yeah, I know, I know it's like so amazing, it's just so selfless, yeah. Yes, it's it's incredible. Yeah, and I mean so many things in my life have been. I've mentioned my transplant family, and that happened because I love this. It's so fun to like kind of relive like this whole dear saga.

L. A.: 50:08

Oh, I love that.

Carol (Dory): 50:09

But it's so fun to have someone actually listen.

L. A.: 50:12

Yeah, I love it. Let's hear. Yeah, so um so cool.

Carol (Dory): 50:17

After I I was on dialysis, so it was like putting sugar water in your system overnight, like having a milkshake every night as you're sleeping, kind of deal. Yeah, it's like, but you don't get to taste it. Right, that's so sad. Yeah, but it's you know, so you just like I gained like all this weight, and I was just an average size, six to eight person. And then when I came out of transplant, like right now I weigh like 107, I weighed like my normal was like 125, 130-ish. Yeah, but when I came out of transplant, I weighed like 205 because water retention, because and then I was on heavy doses of steroids, which make you want to eat everything that's not made.

L. A.: 51:04

Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 51:05

I would get up at night and have two breakfasts, and then my neighbor across the street, he would he would say, Hey, Miss Fishy, you want to come over for your third breakfast this morning? And I'm like, Yeah, be right over. My goodness. So long shorter that was I started exercising, and swimming was something I always loved to do, but I hadn't really like I would get in and just play around the water like I hadn't swam laps since I was like, you know, 16. Yeah. 16 or 17, something like that. And then when I was on dialysis, I wasn't allowed to swim. Wow. You know, because I had these open tubes coming out of it. Makes sense.

L. A.: 51:46

Might have been hard to do much of anything.

Carol (Dory): 51:48

Yeah. You know, I don't know. Would I need a special bubble seat or something? I don't know. Yeah. Just impossible because too much. I mean the the risk of infection. Exactly.

L. A.: 52:00

Exactly. That's what I was thinking.

Carol (Dory): 52:02

Yeah, yeah. The risk of infection is is ridiculous with that. But so I started swimming, and I'm so blessed because where I live, we have a really nice 25-meter pool. And so I started swimming laps, and I started swimming like I got up to a mile, then it was like two. And I went to the doctor's was almost a year after transplant. And they're like, You are looking great. What are you doing to lose this weight? And I'm like, I'm like, Well, I'm still eating a lot, but I'm walking, walking, walking, walking with the dog. Yeah. They're like swimming like a mile a day. And they're like, Wow, you need to go to the transplant games. And I was like, The what?

L. A.: 52:50

Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 52:51

And they're like, Well, it's it's like the Olympics, and it's for transplant patients who've received an organ, and they compete in all types of sports against each other from all over the USA. And I'm like, Wow.

L. A.: 53:07

You're like, okay.

Carol (Dory): 53:08

When and where is it? So this 2001 in the spring, and they said, Well, the next one is this summer. It's the World Games in Kobe, Japan, but you have to be out a year, and you're not going to be out a year until October, so you can't go to that one. But having a little buckeye transplant games in Columbus, so you can go check it out. All right. So I did that, and like I won like all these little medals, and I was so excited. And my donor went with me, and she got to present me with the medal. Oh, that's so cute. Track and field, and I did swimming, and we had like bowling, like so, you know, it was so fun because it was really the first time I got to gather with other transplant patients and do so, and it was phenomenal. It was like immediate connections. The people were great. And they're like, Well, next summer you have to go to Disney World. That's where the games are. I was like, What? Like, awesome. They're like, Yeah, so they used to, it's kind of funny because back then there was this commercial, the big commercial on TV saying, What are you gonna do next? And it was like, I'm going to Disney World. So you're like, Hey, I'm going to Disney World. I'm like, I hadn't been since I was seven years old. So cute. Yeah, so I met my friend Kim Burley, and she goes by Burley from the Cleveland area at a team picnic for Team Ohio called Team Ohio for Life. And we became like best buddies, we're both swimmers, and so we decided to make our own shirts, and she won she decided she would be Burley Bass, and I would be Fitzy Fish because my last name is Fitzsimmons. So, like just about immediately, like it just got shortened to fishy.

L. A.: 54:58

Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 54:59

That's how that happened.

L. A.: 55:00

So when I was teaching you when you were teaching, you were what? Miss Fishy. Oh, Miss Fishy. Yeah.

Carol (Dory): 55:08

So yeah, that's kind of how that all developed. And I went, I had an amazing time. I wanted my donor to go with me, but her daughter was expecting their first grandchild like that same week. Oh so we couldn't go, or she couldn't skip. Right. I went and I won three medals, and I was so excited because I was like, I'm not last.

L. A.: 55:28

Yeah, incredible.

Carol (Dory): 55:31

Like, I swam a 400-meter freestyle, like, and I didn't die. Like, they fish me out with the net. Like that's so cool.

L. A.: 55:42

That must have felt so like vindicating, like so victorious.

Carol (Dory): 55:46

And like yeah, immediately, you know, you're hooked because you're with in literally thousands of other transplant patients.

L. A.: 55:52

Who understand?

Carol (Dory): 55:53

March in like the Olympics, you know, as a team. So we march in as Team Ohio with all the states, and then and then they honor the living donors, they come, they march in, and then and then the donor families, and everybody's like bawling because it's like you know what they've gone through.

L. A.: 56:07

And yeah, it's oh I got goosebumps, man. That's so pure. Wow.

Carol (Dory): 56:13

You have to go to one. Oh my god.

L. A.: 56:15

That sounds amazing.

Carol (Dory): 56:17

So I have a friend on Team Ohio that I met at those little butt guy games in 2001 named Libby, and she was dating a guy from Team Ohio, and she lives in Canada, but she's a duo citizen. And anyway, so she invited Janet and I to the Canadian transplant game. No way! Summer, that same summer, we went to Newfoundland, Canada. And I did the Canadian game. So I have done in all this time, I have been to four Canadian national transplant games. Wow. Four Australian transplant games. Yes, I got to be the team manager, designed the uniforms. That's where my shirt's from, actually. Oh dude, that's incredible. Yeah, it's like I don't have enough brain power to do all that and teach and everything at the same time. And they left me off of school to go because it was in October. So I got to spend my my 10th transplant anniversary in Australia. Oh, awesome. So, like I'm an honorary Canuck and an honorary Aussie, mate. It was actually in 2004 I took the team to Australia the first time, and that's where they gave me the name Dory. That's so cute. Yes, because Nemo had just come out. So we all had names from finding Nemo, all the team USA.

L. A.: 57:36

So dude, yeah.

Carol (Dory): 57:39

It was so fun. So and then, you know, my in 2003, I did my first world transplant games, and that will always be my favorite. It was in Nancy France and Northern France, and my uncle served, yes, my uncle had served in the army and the war there. Oh wow, so yeah, and of course, I had never been to Europe and oh my goodness, talk about feeling like a rock star. They had 30,000 people in in their public square welcoming the athletes of the cry from all over the world, and I have never missed one since. Oh yeah, and we started out with Nazi France to Canada, to Bangkok to Thailand, to Australia, I'm gonna go here, to Sweden, to South Africa, to Argentina, to Spain, to the UK, and then we had a USA Games that was supposed to be in Texas, but COVID canceled it, but we did it. So we still count that. Two years ago in Western Australia, and then this year on oh my gosh, August 14th, I'm heading to Dresden, Germany. Oh, Germany, fun. Oh no, I know yeah, so considering I got really sick and I almost died this February. Wow. Had another, I don't know what happened, but I ended up like I couldn't walk, I could barely talk, my blood pressure dropped.

L. A.: 59:28

And that was just this February of 2025.

Carol (Dory): 59:31

February 3rd, I remember it very well. Wow. Yeah, I just got really sick. Had to call the squad and ended up going to the ER. And here, my blood pressure was like when I checked it at home, it was like 70 over 50. Like almost like passing out material. Wow. I just remember I couldn't think clearly. I was just like, I gotta figure out what's going on here. And my hemoglobin dropped from so I I get that checked every two weeks because I get shots for anemia. It went from 11.3 to 5.1 in those couple of days, I guess. I don't know, like I don't know if I just had like some massive hemorrhage like during this time. I don't know, like we still don't really know what happened, but yeah. So and I remember I know I kind of jump all over the place, but I remember PR, my best friend, you know, came and sat with me. I was like laying there crying, and I'm like, my lord, I want to get in Germany. And I'm like, I've been out of the water for like two months because I feel like poop and I didn't know what was going on with me. Like, I thought I was in kidney rejection or I got. I didn't know what was wrong. So wow. And you guys still don't know. No. Wow. Yeah.

L. A.: 1:01:09

So what did they do to help you with that?

Carol (Dory): 1:01:11

Well, they gave me two blood transfusions. And I get tested every two weeks. And I just last week I had an an iron infusion that takes four and a half hours through IV. And then two weeks before that, I had another one. And then I get checked every two weeks for hemoglobin levels. And they give me what is called an apogen shot, which is which boosts your hemoglobin. All right. I don't know the reason, but transplanted kidneys don't often produce high enough hemoglobin, which means oxygen flowing through your blood, which affects your energy levels. Makes sense.

L. A.: 1:01:52

It's like clarity of mind, everything.

Carol (Dory): 1:01:55

Like don't get up here. I'm going to the games. Like wow. We have a joke about the games. We call them the steroid games. You know, she can't participate. Like oh, that's so funny. Yeah. So I mean, I blessed with this huge transplant family. And I've I've I've served as like a team USA swim team manager, you know, team Ohio swim manager for years, been on the different, you know, Team Ohio for Life Boards, just anything I can do to promote the healthy lifestyle before and after transplant, and of course, promote transplant itself and just promote my miracle. Like I feel like God gave me this beautiful miracle. And the reason I go by jewelry is because people are like, is that your real name? Like, you're kidding. I'm like, no, it's not my real name, but this is why I'm named this. Yeah.

L. A.: 1:02:58

That's awesome.

Carol (Dory): 1:02:59

It gives me an open window to talk about something that's really serious. And you know, you here you are. Well, you you've seen me in action talking to strangers. Sure. But I've learned to do because you don't know who needs needs to have that seed planted. And you know, a lot of times people aren't open to maybe the spiritual end of a miracle if if they don't feel well, you know. Like even though they're crying out for one, they might not like be as accepting of hearing about that. But if if they, you know, I I try to believe that that's the way God chose to heal me because of the ripple effect it has had on my life and the lives of others. Like Janet's daughter became a nurse and is working with kidney patients, and she had no clue what she wanted to do. I mean, just cool things like that. And yeah, it's amazing.

L. A.: 1:04:01

Dora, that's incredible because it's like hearing your story, it sounds like you went from like, you know, you were you were tired, you often like fell behind, and you were shy, and you've been through some hard things. Like when you were only 17, you were told, you know, you can't have kids, you have this chronic kidney disease, and you had a stillborn son, you've had, you know, your husband leave, you've had to leave jobs that you loved, and so it's like, wow, there's all this tragedy in your life that you've experienced, and still, you know, you have, you know, sometimes migraines and pain and random near-death experiences and you know, constant fatigue. But what's so beautiful is hearing the redemption of your story and the hope that you have made connections with sounds like lifelong friends. Um, your friend Jen? Janet, Jen? Janet, yeah. Janet, who is willing to give her kidney. You've met these incredible people in these, you know, these games that you have gotten to travel the world. Like, you developed a new thing that you love swimming. Like, and you are obviously not quite shy anymore. You're very, you're passionate, and you pursue, you know, what is best for people and giving information and glorifying God. Like you're very your your purpose is very clear, like it's just it's so beautiful. A miracle, yeah. Yeah, it's so cool because it's like it could be so easy to like, you know, it could be so easy to feel just the weight of all that tragedy. And even though, like, you know, you're not hiding those things, like you're like, yeah, that was hard. And still, you know, it's hard. Like when we started this call, we were both like, yeah, we are it's a tired day, you know, like, but it's so beautiful.

Carol (Dory): 1:06:09

Like, you know, the Lord like just gives you this inner strength, you know, when you most need it, it's like I just feel like all these connections are just all because of miracles that he made possible. Because, you know, some people are like, oh, technology is so great, surgeons are so great. I'm like, yes, all of that is true. But all of that knowledge, all the knowledge we have for everything we have here on this planet, was created by God. It wasn't created by us. Yeah, there is not there is nothing new on the planet. God knows there is nothing new under the sun. And I'm sure he he is like, you know, I just like often, you know, when you hear of bad things going on, I'm like, Lord, like why what is have to go on? Do I need to like I can give these people a list of a thousand things to do today? That would be better than doing horrible things to people. Like I can't understand that frame of mind. Like I'm very like life-centered and grateful centered, and I have my moments, trust me. Right, yeah. I had my my very, very deep valleys, but yeah, like I said, with without without my faith and without prayer and people, you know, others lifting each other up, like I've been lifting you up since I met you, and you picked me up, and and the things that go on beside behind the scenes, like in the spiritual world, like they mean everything. The rest the rest of the stuff is just it's stuff you gotta make it through. Like, I don't always understand why is like, you know, why does the newborn baby die after 49 minutes? You know, or why why did he have to, you know, like you just don't know. You don't know why. And you know, why do people die waiting for organs when there are so many organs that are you know going to waste? And why do people trash their bodies? I'm like, your body, your engine is like, you know, if you can pick the greatest sports car, the coolest sports car you ever had, are you gonna put junk in the engine? No, you're gonna feed it the best gas, you're going to wax it, you're gonna clean it, you're gonna wash it, you're gonna dry it, you're gonna, you know, whatever. You're gonna, you know, get it new parts and and all that. So with your body, you only get one chance, you know, unless somebody else it's like you don't walk into a spare parts store for a kidney, you know. You have to depend on someone else's heart. The very the human part of that is I think what I love the most because especially now I I appreciate it even more every day because it seems like people have become so less hands-on, so less educative, everybody's always on their phone or their computer. Like people are just not making human connections. When you're talking organ and tissue donation, that's a that's a very cut and dry life and death matter, and it's it can't happen without other humans saying yes. Right. Even even in their time of tragedy, it's like amazing, or it's like, you know, like like my donor going through certain like it's sometimes it still blows my mind. And then I have met people along the way who've decided to become altruistic donors, and that just means they don't even know someone who made a kidney or whatever, but they're donating it anyway.

L. A.: 1:09:59

That's incredible, yeah. Yeah, that's beautiful.

Carol (Dory): 1:10:02

Three people on like you know, and then you meet the donor families, and sometimes they'll meet the recipients of their little boy or girl or little baby heart, and they'll get to hear the heartbeat, beating another person and see wow. I know it's like I've seen that like sometimes it's done privately, but they I've seen it like live on stage at some of the trans. It is the most incredible, incredible thing. Yeah, you know, that in your time of grief, like you made that decision. That's another part of the education is please educate yourself and make that decision and tell your family ahead of time so they don't have to struggle with what decision to make. So it's pretty clear, you know, in the Christian faith that that's a good choice to make. And it's actually the same in almost all religions in the United States. There are no decisions that are actually organized. A lot of times people think it is or they don't know, and they'll just use that as an excuse. You kind of just have to get one-on-one with a person and you have to make it personal. You have to but not to bug them, you know, if they're not registered, then you just move on. But it's like, okay, if it was your child that needed an organ to see a light, what would you think? Right? How would you react? What would your decision be?

L. A.: 1:11:33

If someone wants to give an organ, like be an organ donator or anything else you're talking about, I know like you can also donate like blood or uh bone marrow and stuff like that. If people want to do that, like where do they where do they even start? Where do they go for that?

Carol (Dory): 1:11:50

Usually they're they have what they call OPOs, which is organ procurement organizations. And depending on your state, sometimes there's one, sometimes there's two or three. Ohio has three of them, three or four. All right. That cover different areas, but the best, I guess the one place that covers every everywhere is Unos. It's U N O S. Okay. Um, you can do it at any BMV. You can register, and you can even do it online. It takes one epic guest to save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of 75 people and give sight to two people. I have met people who were blind and never saw their family until they received a cornea. Oh wow.

L. A.: 1:12:49

That must be so beautiful to witness.

Carol (Dory): 1:12:51

Yeah, it's it's like this club I'm in, it's like it's just the ultimate. So yeah. So the next if you're interested in meeting a lot of miracles, you, Leah Ann, to come to the 2026 Transplant Games of America. And you can you can just search TGA 2026. It's going to be in in Denver, Colorado. Oh cool. Yeah, so you can come see me sink or swim.

L. A.: 1:13:21

And where's when's that?

Carol (Dory): 1:13:23

That is June 18th through 23rd. That's the new next transplant games of America. So cool, Dory.

L. A.: 1:13:32

Awesome. Oh, dude, that's incredible. Thank you so much for sharing your story. If you had like one final message for people listening for people who are chronically ill, or for people who, you know, know people who are chronically ill, right? Like Janet, who was willing to give her kidney. Yeah. What is one one final thing you would say?

Carol (Dory): 1:13:56

Oh I would say the biggest thing is, you know, as a friend or a mentor, listening to that person and and just understanding that that they don't feel well and sometimes life is hard and that they need extra encouragement. And to really, to really focus on on the prayer part, just encourage them. Like even if you send them a little Bible verse or a note, or you know, I'm praying for you today, or you know, and and just like to other patients, like, you know, a big part of our our group is encouraging each other through the hard times. And that's why, like being in like the transplant sport, and and we have all different kinds of things. We have like 5Ks, badminton, ballroom dancing, three-on-three basketball, track and field, darts, golf, lyrics of life for people who sing. We have football, yeah. What I mean, table tennis, tennis, Texas hold'em because we're having some things for people who maybe are older and not as active, or just Texas Hold'em. We have trivia challenges, we have a virtual triathlon line, we have volleyball, we have youth Olympiads, our our youngest competitors are once as young as three years old, and going all the way to mate for the World Games. My friend Barbara from Buffalo, she's had her kidney 26 years, one year longer than me. She's still and we're flying to Germany together. Oh, dude, that's awesome.

L. A.: 1:15:42

That's so cool.

Carol (Dory): 1:15:46

And it's it's the celebration of of life that's so cool. It's kind of like it's a fierce competition, but it's it's the camaraderie that overrides everything. And even though obviously you're not gonna speak everyone's language, but we one language, which is what our father and heaven intended, and that's a language of love.

L. A.: 1:16:09

Oh, okay, Dory. Okay, that's beautiful. All right, so your last word of encouragement would be to give time for those suffering and to encourage them. Yeah, right. Okay, awesome. Oh, well, thank you so much for sharing your story. I think absolutely this will help a lot of I hope, you know, this will help a lot of people struggling with chronic kidney disease or I mean with any other chronic illness.

Carol (Dory): 1:16:36

And it's the board, you know, because you know, struggling with the health is struggling with your health. Like don't make that that goes on, so you know, one day at a time.

L. A.: 1:16:51

Yeah, and hopefully, you know, if nothing else, maybe maybe it'll encourage, maybe we would have inspired someone to give, you know, to to donate uh an organ.

Carol (Dory): 1:17:01

So like I said, there's no greater gift than a person who lays down their life for a friend. So yeah, beautiful. That was good for us. So why wouldn't we do that for another? Yeah, something to ponder.

L. A.: 1:17:22

I love that, Dory. Well, you've given us lots to think about. All right, well, thanks so much. It's been a really great joy talking to you, Dory. Stay in touch, yeah, absolutely.

Carol (Dory): 1:17:36

Thank you, my dear.

L. A.: 1:17:38

All right, thanks so much for interviewing with me.

Carol (Dory): 1:17:41

Aaron, take good care of yourself.

L. A.: 1:17:43

Yes, you too. All right, bye, Dory. Thank you for being a part of the Christians with Chronic Illnesses community and for tuning in to our podcast. Please follow, rate, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Patreon. You can also follow our socials at CWCI Podcast. If you're interested in sharing your God given story, we'd love for you to email us at cwcipodcast at gmail.com. This podcast cannot substitute for medical help and is purely for encouragement and entertainment. Please see your doctor before trying anything mentioned on this show.