In 2015, at the age of 34, having Diabetes for almost 20 years had caused kidney damage, which in turn caused high blood pressure which further accelerated the deterioration of the kidneys. In June of 2015, Clyde Colbert was diagnosed with End-stage Renal Disease, kidney failure. Clyde began dialysis treatments and shortly after was added to the Kidney transplant list. Sadly, in Colorado, the wait on the kidney transplant list is approximately five years long. Therefore, it was vital that Clyde find a living donor willing to donate one of their kidneys to support Clyde’s recovery.
After several unsuccessful attempts to find a donor with a compatible blood type, Clyde began to lose hope, but by the grace of God, the last relative tested was a match. Clyde’s nephew Brandon Stewart, living in Maryland was indeed a match and willing to donate. However, this would not come without its challenges. Before the Doctors at University agree to go through with the procedure, they must meet with Brandon in-person for the final tests and to make sure the living donor is fully aware of all the risks and recovery time of the surgery. With medical bills piling up, Clyde having to miss a substantial amount of work due to his illness, and raising three kids, money was extremely tight. Financially, there was no hope in sight for a way to fly Brandon out to Colorado so he could meet with the surgery team at University.
Miraculously, One Spark Foundation heard of the financial issues the Colbert family was having and immediately with Clyde’s nephew travel arrangements to meet with the surgeons at University, truly a blessing for Clyde and his family.
Through the generosity of One Spark Foundation, Clyde and his living donor were able to complete this final step and schedule the kidney transplant for the month of December 2017!!! Clyde and his family will be eternally grateful for the love and support of the One Spark Foundation.