Giovanni Simi

LIVING Kidney DONOR NEEDED

My name is Giovanni Simi and I was diagnosed with kidney failure just before retiring from a 29-year career in education. I am a proud father of two and grandfather of three kids 5 and under.

My family is the most important thing in my life, and my next greatest passion is volunteerism and supporting our community. I’ve been active in Rotary International for nearly 30 years, helping to raise funds for needs ranging from local children’s groups and domestic violence centers to eradicating polio worldwide. I’ve also worked with a team of dedicated volunteers to found a new museum dedicated to preserving our region’s history. After more than a decade of hard work, we’ve raised nearly half a million dollars to establish a permanent venue for the museum.

A lifelong baseball enthusiast, I have long enjoyed watching, playing, and coaching baseball and softball. Some of my fondest memories of my children’s childhood came from coaching, and I hope to be healthy enough to coach my grandchildren in the years to come.

One of the greatest impacts of kidney failure on my life has been the extreme fatigue. My wife retired just before I did, and we envisioned a life of spending time with our grandchildren, enjoying our hobbies, traveling, and donating our time and resources to the various charitable causes that are near and dear to our hearts.

With kidney failure, the reality has been much different. The intense exhaustion I feel after even simple daily activities has forced me to give up my favorite pastimes - playing softball and riding/racing motorcycles. Before my diagnosis, I regularly spent at least one full day every weekend volunteering - hosting youth groups at the museum, helping set up Rotary fundraisers, or serving/leading various committees associated with our local Fair. Now, not only does my body not have the energy to do the all-day work I’m accustomed to, but there are days where the extreme fatigue won’t even allow me to attend a meeting. For someone who has been a “doer” all his life, this has been an incredibly hard adjustment.

It’s also quite difficult to keep up with my young grandchildren. As a lifelong athlete, I’d envisioned teaching them baseball, playing catch, and chasing them around the backyard. Most days, these activities are simply out of reach for me.

Kidney failure has had a profound impact not only on my life, but on those of my family and close friends. Every night, my wife spends at least 45 minutes hooking me up to a dialysis machine. I have to be hooked up for nine and a half hours each night, and then she spends at least 30 minutes each morning unhooking me. If there are glitches with the machine, we have to start over. It has taken us as much as four hours just to get hooked up. Obviously, these time constraints have a significant impact on our ability to function normally. We often have to leave evening events early to be home in time to get hooked up. The timing also impacts our ability to help with our grandchildren. And of course, it is extremely difficult to travel with the machine and extensive supplies necessary to operate it on a nightly basis.

A living kidney donor is my best chance at returning to a healthy life. Many people don’t realize that they can live in perfect health with just one kidney. While a number of family members and friends have gone through the donor evaluation process, none have been a viable donor candidate yet.

If you’d like to help, please consider starting the donor evaluation process, and sharing this message with your friends. You can choose a directed donation to me or someone you know, or even if you’re not a match, you could save the life of someone else in need.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

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