From left: Sydney, Courtenay, David and Kyle Degnon.
Submitted Photo
Clarks Summit resident Courtenay Degnon considers herself a typical mom of two teenagers. She works daily. She makes sure the uniforms are washed, schedules are kept, and the house is in order.
But at the end of the day, she struggles with fatigue due to Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and is in need of a kidney transplant. She inherited PKD at age 18 when she began to have a blood clot in her arm and lung due to her clotting disorder.
After the birth of her daughter, she needed to undergo dialysis because of complications, which required blood transfusions due to her condition. Dialysis helped restore some function but her kidneys were left permanently damaged. Her kidneys function at less than 20%.
Courtenay received blood work twice a year from her nephrologist Dr. John Prior, who has been treating her whole family. On Jan. 9, she received news from the National Kidney Registry (NKR) that she was qualified for a kidney transplant. Since she is able to perform her daily activities, she is qualified to receive a transplant from a living donor before needing a deceased donor. The NKR allowed her to choose a hospital to mentally prepare for a surgery. She chose the University of Pennsylvania Hospital to register for a transplant. It paired her up with Donor Search Expert Coach Yaredly Hernandez, who is a kidney transplant recipient herself, for support and to answer questions Courtenay has about the surgery. Courtenay also has a nutritionist to prepare a lifestyle change after surgery.
Courtenay’s husband of 22 years, David, is a top prospect kidney donor. Courtenay and David have a daughter, Sydney, a 2023 graduate of Abington Heights High School, and a son Kyle, who is a sophomore in high school. Courtenay used to work at the high school as a teacher and a swim coach. Now she is an assistant director at Wyoming Valley West in Plymouth.
Courtenay needs a living donor for a kidney transplant. A donor doesn’t need to be a perfect match and can be from anywhere. Donors usually donate at any NKR-affiliated transplant center. The NKR has a Voucher Program, which allows someone to donate on your behalf now and secure your place in the system. The NKR also has a Donor Shield, which protects living donors by offering: reimbursement for lost wages (up to $2,000 per week for 12 weeks; travel and lodging coverage; priority for a kidney in the future if they ever need one themselves. There is no age limit to donate. Most donors can live a normal, healthy life with one kidney.
“I am so thankful for the National Kidney Registry for all they have done to make transplants easier for those donating and receiving,” said Courtenay.
To learn more about Courtenay’s story, find out about kidney donation, or be tested as a potential donor, visit http://www.nkr.org/HDS578.
You can help by sharing her story and the link via social media and email.
