BY CATHERINE TSAI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BELLEVUE -- Joe Ackerson, 19, first offered his older brother, Eddie, a kidney seven years ago, but his brother got one from their father instead. So when Eddie Ackerson needed another kidney, Joe was first to volunteer.
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Eddie Ackerson, 27, center, has received kidneys from his brother Joe, left, and his father, Ed.
(Michael Snyder photo)
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"I wasn't gonna let him when he was 12," Eddie Ackerson said. "My brother had tears in his eyes when he offered. He was so scared. I cried. I started to realize how important a family really is."
Last week Eddie Ackerson, 27, got his second kidney transplant since he was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP), a disease that can ultimately result in kidney failure.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, arthritis and a rash, but not much is known about the cause.
"I think HSP is foreign for, "We don't know what the heck's wrong with you,' " Mr. Ackerson joked.
Mr. Ackerson had gone to the hospital for dialysis three days each week, four hours at a time, when he needed the first kidney, he said. His dad, brother and mom were all willing to donate, but his mom had high blood pressure. His dad's kidney ended up being a good match.
When that kidney started having problems, Joe Ackerson offered again to donate. Now Eddie Ackerson has four kidneys -- two of his own and two transplants in his lower pelvic area. Both operations were performed at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati.
Dr. Nick Shaughnessy, Mr. Ackerson's nephrologist, said there was little reason to remove Mr. Ackerson's own kidneys.
"They're hard to take out, and it's not necessary unless they're causing a specific problem," he said.
At various points, HSP had Mr. Ackerson in a coma, on dialysis and taking medicines that cost $5,000 a month. Because he could not work, he relied on disability payments to cover expenses.
Friends have planned a benefit for the Ackersons 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday at St. Bernard Church in Dayton, Ky. With $6 tickets, they hope to raise money for the brothers and, if possible, donate money to the Kidney Foundation.
Mr. Ackerson said his family had had no record of kidney problems. His kidneys began to give him problems after bouts with strep throat and then rheumatic fever when he was 19.
A doctor misdiagnosed him with Crohn's disease, an intestinal problem that also causes abdominal pain, before Mr. Ackerson was found to have HSP.
Complications of HSP led to hypertension and seizures. Mr. Ackerson said he also slipped into a coma for three days that he still remembers.
"I didn't even belong to my body any more," he said. "It felt like I stretched for miles, and I just floated."
It was then that Ed Ackerson Sr. decided to give his oldest son a kidney in a surgery that would take away one of his ribs and require more than 3,000 stitches.
Joe Ackerson underwent similar surgery last week.
The brothers said they argued as they were wheeled into surgery side by side.
"He said I needed to shut up because I was making him nervous," Eddie Ackerson said.
Because of his brother's kidney, Eddie Ackerson has a future that Dr. Shaughnessy says looks good.
"Being healthy again -- that's just such a high for me right now," Mr. Ackerson said.
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