Retired KSP trooper searching for life-saving kidney transplant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A retired Kentucky State Police trooper is encouraging people to become organ donors as he waits on a life-saving transplant.

Robert Foster found out a few years ago that, unexpectedly, his kidneys weren't working properly. Foster said he was otherwise healthy but had been on medication for years that was unknowingly harming his kidney function.

"I'm doing fine. My kidney function is still— it's failed, so it's not going to improve any," Foster said.

He had been looking forward to a full retirement to spend with his family.

"It wasn't what I planned, but it is what it is, and we just have to deal with it," he said.

Foster relies on dialysis three days each week. For about three years now, he's been on the transplant list for UK Healthcare, and he knows he's not the only one waiting.

"I think it varies with blood type, but on average, these days, it seems like the wait time is 5-7 years," said Dr. Malay Shah, a transplant surgeon with UK.

For Shah, organ donation is personal. He said his mother-in-law was on dialysis for 23 years after her kidney transplant didn't take.

"It makes me sad she never got a kidney, and there's so many other patients like that," he said.

Patients like Foster are also now reaching out looking for a living donor transplant. His family has started an online campaign they share through social media to let people know about Foster's story and encourage people to sign up and see if they're a match to donate a kidney.

When they first launched the campaign, several people called the family. Recently, the calls aren't coming as often.

"It just kind of fell off because of COVID, and rightfully so," said Rob Foster, Robert's son. "We understand the pandemic. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is."

"Right now, there are about 900 people — men, women and children — all waiting for a life-saving transplant," said Shannon Adkins, philanthropy officer for Circuit Court Clerk's Trust for Life and Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA).

That 900 is just the number of people in Kentucky still waiting. Nationally, Adkins said there are more than 108,000 people waiting on a transplant.

Shah said not enough people are organ donors, and he encourages his patients to looking into living donation as well. He said the pandemic impacted donations from living donors this past year.

"I think living donations suffered because of the COVID pandemic especially early on," Shah said. "For about 5-6 week period, we stopped doing living donor kidney transplants."

He said that was out of an abundance of caution.

At UK, Shah said the hospital system performed 119 kidney transplants in 2020. Ninety-four of those were from deceased donors and 25 were from living donors, he said.

"Whether or not I ever get a kidney transplant, there are tons of people out there that need kidneys and anybody," he said. "I would encourage anybody to try and reach out and donate. I wish I could do it somebody now. I wish I could."

If you are interested in becoming an organ donor, click here. If you'd like to connect with Foster and see if you are a match to be a living kidney donor, click here.