LITTLETON, Colo. — A Colorado man is raising awareness and hope as he waits for a second kidney transplant.
Facing polycystic kidney disease, a genetic form of the disease, Rick Mendoza received a kidney transplant from his sister-in-law in 2011. He said it made him feel “fully alive” and allowed him to be present for his daughter’s formative years.
“She probably didn't want me on the sidelines as much during her soccer games, but I was there supporting her and cheering her,” he told Denver7.
But just over a decade later, in 2022, Mendoza became sick again.
“You feel like your energy level, you had no longer the energy to do things,” he explained. “With kidney failure, your red blood cells take away the oxygen that goes throughout your body, so you feel anemic, and then there's nausea.”
It turns out his donated kidney was failing “abruptly.” He went back on a transplant wait list, which can take several years on average. He also went back to dialysis treatments, which can take a toll.
Chronic kidney disease gradually damages the kidneys, making it harder for them to filter waste or excess fluid out of the blood, leading to serious health problems.
Joseph Garcia is a group regional operations director with DaVita, a Denver-based company with dialysis centers across the country. He said patients typically are treated multiple times a week, “anywhere from three and a half to four-plus hours.”
“About half of our patients who end up on dialysis services, meaning their kidneys failed, crash into it, meaning they had no idea that their kidneys were at risk,” Garcia told Denver7.
That underscores findings from the National Kidney Foundation that one in seven U.S. adults has chronic kidney disease, but 90 percent of them don’t realize they have it because symptoms can be mild or non-existent at first.
Mendoza now volunteers with the National Kidney Foundation to raise awareness.
“I think this time around, I felt that I needed to do something more than just looking out for myself,” he explained. “I think there are others that are less fortunate than me.”
Those with high blood pressure or diabetes are especially at risk for kidney disease. Garcia and kidney health advocates encourage regular doctor visits, as well as blood or urine exams.
“I think the biggest thing I would encourage people to do is proactive screenings, proactive conversations,” Garcia told Denver7.
A healthy diet and exercise, they say, can also promote good kidney health, something Mendoza embodies even while going through dialysis treatments.
“The next day [after treatment], I feel, you know, that I can do a lot of things, like golf. I work full-time,” he explained.
Garcia praised Mendoza for his mindset amid the struggles.
“He's amazing,” Garcia said. “When you think about his journey with his kidney health and how he just has a positive attitude, he lives a fully active lifestyle, he's an ambassador and a champion for other kidney care patients. It's a privilege to work with him.”
Mendoza is not waiting to live, even as he waits for another donor.
“I’m hoping that day comes,” he said. “But until then, and after then, I just want to do more, and I feel like I do more with what I have to offer.”
Denver7 is a proud sponsor of the Denver Kidney Walk. Anchor/reporter Ryan Fish will emcee the event on Sunday, Oct. 5, at Great Lawn Park in Denver.
