Kidney disease impacts not only the afflicted but the lives of those around them. Last week, the Fulton Sun told the story of Jason Rosenstengel, a Fulton high school para-educator living on dialysis while awaiting a kidney donation. This week, three women close to him share how they were affected.
Charlotte, his mother
"(Jason) called and asked if I was home, because he and (his wife Mandy) wanted to come over," Jason's mother Charlotte Rosenstengel said. "I knew right then."
On that day almost two years ago, Jason told his mother about his kidney problems. Since then, one of his kidneys was removed and the other has almost completely shut down.
Charlotte said her son has carried on admirably.
"He has been very strong though all of this," she said. "Very strong."
Charlotte said both she and Jason's father have tried to give everything they can, though each in their own way.
"I have asked three times if I can give my kidney, but each time I was told, 'No, you're too old,'" she said. "You just want to give your kids everything, but this is the one thing you can't. Jason's father had kidney disease as a child, so he can't give either. (Jason's father) is very quiet, he doesn't like to talk about it. But he is always there in the hospital by Jason's side."
Charlotte said the whole family has tried to accommodate Jason's condition, sometimes to his chagrin.
"With Jason's diet, when the family gets together, we have to change some things though nobody ever complains," she said. "During Christmas and other big holidays, I make these noodles that are Jason's favorite. I changed up the recipe one time for Jason and they were terrible. Jason said, 'Mom, just fix them normal and I just won't eat as much.'"
Charlotte said watching her son go though this ordeal has been a struggle.
"It's hard to see your kid go through this," she said. "It's hard to see them go through anything. He says, 'I'm not dying' and I say, 'No, but you need help.'"
This experience has changed her and will impact her life forever, she added.
"This has absolutely helped me grow, but it's not a way you want to," she said. "I don't intend to stop advocating when he gets the kidney. Even then it's not over - he will be on anti-rejection drugs, have a diet and be under medical care forever."
All she can do right now is wait, pray and advocate, Charlotte said.
"We pray every day for a kidney that he won't reject," she said. "I will keep talking to people about it, because you may never know what touched somebody, or prompted them to go get checked out."
Jill, his sister
"I found out when he told the whole family," Jill Regan said. She has been through a similar experience herself. "I had heart issues as a kid, and had to have some valves replaced."
Because of her heart surgery, Regan ruled out as a donor for Jason.
"My heart doctor said I was absolutely not a candidate," she said. "It was such a disappointment. He needs (a kidney), and I wanted to be the one to give it too him. I'm his only sibling; it felt like I'm the one to do it."
Regan said she called the transplant team anyway.
"They asked if I was on lifetime blood-thinner and I said yes," she said. "They told me no right there. How great it would have been to give. My kidneys are great, and I'm pretty sure we would be a match. I also have the O blood type, and the Rh factor doesn't matter. I feel really bad, but he understands."
After a close friend almost donated, but was rejected at the last minute, Regan said the family started to turn to others for a donation.
"You look for a donor who is a friend, or a kindhearted person, or someone who has passed," she said. "I want to tell people to get tested, but you can't just ask somebody to give a kidney. It's an individual choice and decision. We just have to wait until someone wants to be generous enough to donate."
Mandy, his wife
"I found out right after he did," Mandy said. "This is something that has definitely impacted the whole family."
Mandy said she plays an important role by keeping the family's morale up.
"I'm the one who tries to keep everyone optimistic," she said. "When he gets down, I tell him, 'Keep your head up.'"
Her husband's routine has created a new way of life, Mandy said.
"We don't see (Jason) during the week," she explained. "Monday, Wednesday and Friday he has dialysis. Then on Tuesday and Thursday, he has his second job, so (our son Braden and I) only see him on the weekend. It just becomes the new normal. That's life."
Mandy said she looks to those around her for strength.
"I very much rely on my friends, my family and my community," she said. "(Both sides of the family) send their prayers and thoughts our way. And that's another thing that helps me: a good and strong faith. I believe in the power and prayer."
All in all, Mandy Rosenstengel said she tries to roll with the punches.
"I'm a very laid back person, so I just take things as they come," she said. "Sure, a few more things may land in front of me because (Jason) is not around, and because he can't do certain things, but that's okay. We just live one day at a time."
If you would like to learn about being an organ donor, contact Catherine Ashbaugh at the University Transplant office by calling 573-882-9974.