Blood drive, food trucks to raise organ donor awareness
PENN TWP — While Bill Hutz awaits word that a donor kidney is available, local residents can give blood, enjoy a unique and delicious dinner, get a low back pain analysis and, most importantly, learn more about organ donation.
Bill's wife, Jackie Hutz, said a blood drive and food truck event will be held May 15 at FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers, 601 Pittsburgh Road.
The blood drive will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. at the center, and six food trucks will offer a wide variety of fare from 4 to 7 p.m.
A free seminar on low back pain will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and free raffles for various items, including a new gas grill and gift cards, will be held throughout the day and evening.
Jackie Hutz said barbecue, healthy comfort food, tacos, and Greek/Mediterranean trucks will be among those parked at the center for diners.
While the Hutz family has raised $30,000 to pay for the incidentals that will not be covered by insurance when Bill finally gets his kidney, the May 15 event is about raising awareness on organ donation, Jackie said.
She explained that Bill has struggled with kidney issues for two decades, but diabetes and high blood pressure two years ago pushed him over the edge and into the transplant category.
Bill is on home dialysis for 12 hours every night, which is very hard on the body, Jackie said.
So far three potential donors did not quite meet all the qualifications for Bill, but the family hopes to hear some good news later this month, when a family friend finishes the physical testing required to determine donation eligibility.
Jackie Hutz said more than 8,000 people in Pennsylvania are waiting for a kidney transplant. The average donor waits three to five years for a new kidney from a deceased donor.
Healthy individuals can also volunteer to donate a kidney if they meet the stringent medical criteria specific to the transplant patient.
“That's easier and can be quicker,” Hutz said, “but we've had three individuals not quite cross that finish line to be approved.”
While the Hutz family has raised $30,000 in the past two years to cover things like medications, travel, lost wages, or mileage for a living donor, the May 15 event is strictly to raise awareness.
It is being held at the FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers, because Bill received treatment there when toxins in his body from his failing kidney rendered him unable to walk or perform many everyday functions.
“They were absolutely wonderful there,” Jackie Hutz said of her husband's physical therapy treatments.
She also hopes to raise awareness on the ability of healthy individuals to donate a kidney and save a life.
“They are absolute heroes living among us,” Hutz said.
She also hopes to raise awareness on signing up to donate organs after death, which donors can do when renewing their driver's license.
While more than 95 percent of Americans say they support organ donation, only half of the drivers in Pennsylvania are registered donors, Hutz said.
More on the Hutz family's odyssey in trying to get a kidney for Bill is available at www.mrsfishguy.com.
Jackie Hutz explained that because her husband set up and maintained fresh- and saltwater fish tanks, he was known as “the fish guy.”
“When he got so sick, he had to close his business and focus on getting and staying healthy so he could get this kidney,” she said.
Dr. Lorrie Lankiewicz, the owner of FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers, said she and the staff grew close to the Hutzes when Bill received treatment as a result of the toxicity.
She is happy to host the May 15 event at her facility.
“The big thing is to support Bill and his family for sure, but also to support the community,” Lankiewicz said.
She explained that once people remove themselves from their private space and get together, energy is created that can benefit everyone.
“We really just want to help Bill and keep having community events so that people know we're here and we want to help each other,” Lankiewicz said.
