Walter's Story
Chillon Caraway
Caroline Fulghum, LSU student
The Gifted Life Podcast is excited to share a story about a life saved.
Read a special guest blog from LSU Manship School of Communications student, Caroline Fulghum.
Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at registerme.org
Walter Wright is an organ recipient and real-life testament to LOPA’s cause.
Wright lives in New Orleans, is in his 40s, and was given a second chance at life thanks to organ donation.
Walter Wright
One fateful day, Wright was admitted to the emergency room for a bad headache and blurry vision. His life was then turned upside-down when doctors discovered that his blood pressure was extremely high and his kidneys were starting to fail. Walter quickly began dialysis everyday at home, and began the journey towards placement on the organ donor list for a new kidney.
However, the road towards a new kidney was not an easy one. Walter had to complete a series of tests to get on the donor list, including blood tests, an echocardiogram, and a stress test, just to name a few. After these tests Wright was put on the donor list, but this came with some bad news. Doctors told him because of his blood type he would be on the waiting list for five years due to the difficulty of finding him a match. Even with all of this unfavorable news, Wright never gave up, and neither did his close family, friends and co-workers.
Wright’s family and friends quickly began getting his story out to the public in any way they could, in hopes of finding him a donor sooner. They knew Wright was in poor health and could not live like this for much longer, much less up to five more years. A close friend of Wright made an electronic flyer and posted it all over social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Wright was also in touch with Manship School of Mass Communication students, who helped get him an interview on WWLTV, a New Orleans prime news channel. Because of this publicity, Wright got the call that they had found a match! His living-donor’s name is Kristie Vickers, and they are still in contact today. He was only on the list for one year, and says he is “tremendously grateful” for everyone involved that helped him get his story to the public.
To those that are already organ donors Wright says they are “doing the right thing,” and he encourages those that are not to “get a little information on the process.” Many people are not organ donors because of misinformation or lack of knowledge on the subject. “This is real, it makes a difference and is life-saving,” says Wright, who is grateful everyday for his new chance at life.
Ever since his transplant, life has been going well for Wright. He sticks to a low-sodium diet and urges others waiting on the donor list to never give up. Wright stays involved with LOPA, he attends events whenever they happen and loves speaking to newcomers. “I was blessed in one of the most difficult times of my life,” says Wright, “others should be blessed as well.”
If you’re interested in learning more about living donors, The Gifted Life Podcast is a valuable resource.
In the episode titled, “A Living Donor Tells Her Story,” Jennifer David shares her experience with living donation.
Written by Caroline Fulghum. - LSU Student - Manship School of Mass Communications