Joe M Glotzbach

In late June of ’79, the world changed…at least for my immediate family it was a life changing event.  For myself, it was a life creating event.  Unfortunately with that life came the passing down of the family curse, Polycystic Kidney Disease.  It was passed down to my mom from her dad’s side of the family, and she, in turn, gifted it to me and my siblings.  This disease makes cysts form on and inside of both kidneys until both kidneys are no longer functioning kidneys, and are just big bags of cysts.  47 years later, it was time to take those giant bags of cysts out, and now I am living a very interesting and challenging life without kidneys.  My life now centers around kidney dialysis three times a week, with a lifestyle consisting of staying close to home, eating an extremely limited diet, and drinking only enough liquid to keep my intestines from shutting down.  I work from home, I feel weak and faint often, and nausea is a way of life.

Before kidney failure I lived a very active life.  My wife and I have been married for over 20 years, and we loved traveling and the outdoors.  We went hiking all the time, and right before kidney failure, we worked up to, and hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim.  We loved driving cross country and soaking in as much of life as possible.  I’m also a musician, a string bass player.  I own and play in an 18 piece jazz band, and I play in the Shoals Symphony Orchestra, and for church and pit orchestras around Huntsville.  I’m also a graphic designer.  I make weather graphics for Baron Weather, and I freelance design for independent meteorologists all around the country. My wife and I are also fostering a very sweet little 1 year old girl.  We’ve been taking care of her since she was born, and are in the process of adopting her.

Dialysis and the lack of kidneys really make my life challenging. I can’t travel far because I have to stay close to a dialysis center.  After dialysis I have to stay close to home so I can be ready for the “dialysis hangover” or “dialysis crash” whenever it happens.  After 4 hours of getting my blood cleaned out by a machine, it takes time for my body to recover and rebalance the electrolytes and fluid in my body, and I have to crash on the couch while that happens.  Recently I made the mistake of going to Costco right after a treatment, and I stood up a bit too long. The crash came and I had no choice but to pass out on the floor in the store.  An ambulance was called and I had to get checked out by the EMTs before I could head home.  What was a scare for people in the store and Costco management, was just a standard side affect for me from dialysis.

I need a kidney, and I’m going to get a kidney very soon.  I have an angel live donor.  A very special person has stepped up to offer me one of her kidneys, and extensive testing has discovered that she is a match for me.  I’m getting a transplant!   With a transplant comes many expenses. Insurance only covers so much, and we are on the hook to cover all the extra costs, which include copays, medications, transportation to and back from Birmingham, and lodging fees.  I’m going to need to live in Birmingham for a month after I get released from the hospital for daily lab work and medication adjustments.  I’ll either need to stay in a hotel, or find some kind of temporary apartment.

I humbly ask for your help to cover these expenses.  Any little bit helps.  Share this with your friends and family; organize fundraisers if you’re good at such a thing.  I’ve been hesitant to ask for money from anyone because I’m the kind of person who feels more comfortable with supporting my own needs with my own labor, but this is overwhelming, and I’ve heard from so many people who want to help in any way they can.  I feel the prayers and I am thankful for each one of them.  This is also a great way to help me and my wife get through these seemingly never-ending trials.

Help our little family get back on the road and on the trail again, help us get back to our normal life!