As Cedar Falls Family Hopes for a Kidney, They Spread Message, Education on Social Media

David Mahncke is living with stage 5 kidney failure.

Symptoms the 29-year-old Cedar Falls man has on a daily basis include nausea and overall feeling of being sick, low energy, insomnia, muscle cramps and twitching due to nerve damage.

He has been waiting for a kidney transplant since June 2012. The average wait time at the University of Iowa Hopsitals and Clinics is 21 months. Nationally, the average wait time is 41 months.

Without a transplant, David, who was diagnosed with the kidney disorder IgA nephropathy at age 16, will have to start dialysis. He's putting that treatment off as long as possible due to the side effects, his wife Amanda Herold-Mahncke said. Those side effects can include high blood pressure, heart disease, nerve damage and infections, with the result that the average life expectancy for someone on dialysis is five years.

The couple aren't staying passive during the wait for a kidney donor. They started a Facebook page, "Kidney Transplant for David Mahncke," to spread awareness about kidney disease, advocate for organ donation and - the ultimate goal - to find a living or deceased donor for David.

"A living donor kidney functions, on average, 12 to 20 years, and a deceased donor kidney from 8 to 12 years," Amanda said. "Patients who get a kidney transplant before dialysis live an average of 10 to 15 years longer than if they stayed on dialysis."

They are searching for an O blood-type donor for David. 

Amanda laid out the changes in their lives since David's kidney's began to fail in 2012.

He needs to stay on a low potassium diet, which means avoiding foods like potatoes, tomatoes, beans and dairy. He is also supposed to remain within four hours of the University of Iowa Hospital at all times in case a kidney become available, which has limited one of the couple's favorite pass times, traveling.

But travel and potatoes are sacrifices they're willing to make to keep David healthy as long as possible.

"Dialysis is so scary to think about. I often find myself very anxious around David's doctor appointments, because I am so afraid of what could be in store for him," Amanda wrote on the Facebook page. "If you are healthy and want to save someone's life, consider sharing your spare and register as an organ donor."

Learn more about kidney donation:
University of Iowa's Kidney Transplant Guide

Anyone interested in being a donor can private message David and Amanda through the Facebook page or email Mandy3476@aol.com or davidm199@hotmail.com.  The first step in the process is returning an 
application to the University of Iowa Hospital.