ALBANY, Ore. — Tucked on a farm in Albany, Oregon, the Kapple family has a deep love for their community, the people and furry friends in it. For that past 13 years, they've been tackling the hardest battle of all their lives as 24-year-old Tory Kapple has battled kidney disease.
"So, now, I'm in stage 5," said Tory. "And for about the last year, I've been looking for a kidney donor."
Tory was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease at age 11. His doctors have never reached a definitive conclusion about how it happened, but based on his declining health, they estimate that he has two years left to succeed in his search.
Finding a kidney can be extremely difficult. Tory is on a waiting list for a kidney, but that list has a three- to five-year wait time. So, like many others who urgently need a kidney, it's up to Tory and his family to find his perfect match.
"I just kind of always hoped this day would never come," said Cynthia Kapple Swope, Tory's mother. "The hardest thing is watching your child go through something like this, you know?"
Tory and his family have been able to manage his disease for over a decade with a strict diet and mindful lifestyle, but things took a turn this past year.
For the last four weeks, Tory has been tied to dialysis chairs five days a week with two 15-gauge needles in his arm, with the machines helping to clean the toxins from his blood that his kidneys aren't able to scrub. But they can't replace the full range of functions that healthy kidneys perform.
"They make it really clear that this does not treat kidney failure at all," said Tory. "But what it can do is it can give you a little more time to do things like find a kidney donor. And I'm very lucky because it gave me that two-year bump."
Though his family is grateful for the treatment, it hasn't been easy to watch. Cynthia describes Tory as often exhausted from his dialysis treatments
"I don't think the general public realizes the traumatic daily life of somebody that is taking dialysis, you know?" she said.
Tory and his loved ones remain optimistic, and are praying for that phone call that will save his life.
"Having a chance at life would really just heal my soul a little bit, I think," said Tory. "It’s a little hard every day not knowing, but it would mean a lot."
Cynthia added that finding a kidney would be like finding "a new family member" because of how important the gift would be for her son.
Finding a willing donor with a matching kidney can be extremely difficult. Tory will be moving to Portland soon in hopes of expanding the search, since he's exhausted all options in Albany and Corvallis.
The OSU grad has put his graphic design degree to work and created a website to spread the word for his search with all the information needed for those hoping to help.
Tory said good candidates are adults aged between 21 and 40 with O+/- type blood, in good physical and mental health and non-smokers. He also shares that his insurance will cover medical bills for a smooth transition.
If you'd like to help Tory with a monetary donation, you can donate to his GiveInKind page or contribute to his dialysis Amazon wishlist.