New Port Richey father battles kidney disease while searching for donor
A New Port Richey father is battling kidney disease as he searches for a donor.
His daughter GiGi is his constant motivation to find a living donor, since nobody in his extended family qualified.
To be a kidney donor, you generally need to be at least 18 years old, in good physical and mental health, and free of certain medical conditions.
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - March marks National Kidney Month; a time to raise awareness about kidney diseases, like polycystic kidney disease.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, about half a million people in the United States are battling it.
One of them is Dennis Santino of New Port Richey.
The backstory
Over a decade ago, 49-year-old Santino went to the emergency room for intense back pain while on vacation with his daughter Gigi. He never could've imagined he'd receive life-changing news.
"They came in and said, 'we've got good news, and we got bad news,'" Santino recalled. "The good news is there's nothing wrong with your back. The bad news is you have an incurable kidney disease that we found, and that's what's causing the pain. What they diagnosed me with was polycystic kidney disease, which is hereditary kidney disease. Basically, what happens is, over time, cysts start to form until your kidney is completely taken over by the cysts."
Dennis tried everything from experimental drug trials to changing his diet in order to avoid dialysis over the last ten years, but his doctors say soon, he may not have a choice.
"Renal failure is 15 and below. I'm at an eight. "So, the next step for me is eventually dialysis," Santino added.
Even though they're pushing for treatment he can do at home, it's still not sustainable as a single father with a full-time, labor-intensive job.
"I have a 15-year-old daughter. I can't be in my room from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the rest of my life," Santino said.
His daughter GiGi is his constant motivation to find a living donor, since nobody in his extended family qualified.
READ: Bay Area widow honors husband who died of brain cancer, Moffitt patients with inspirational rock garden
Big picture view
In December 2024, he was put on the national transplant waitlist but was advised it could be years before he gets a call.
"There are, I believe, close to 90,000 patients in the nation on the national waitlists to get a kidney transplant," said TGH's Dr. Hunter Witt.
Dr. Hunter Witt is an abdominal transplant surgeon at the TGH Transplant Institute, and says living kidney donations are a crucial solution.
READ: Cancer survivor shares message as doctors see more cases among young men
Their program allows friends, relatives or even an anonymous person to donate a kidney to help someone in need.
"We also participate in a program called the National Kidney Registry," Dr. Witt explained. Other hospitals throughout the nation are also in this program. So, a loved one might not be a match for someone needing a kidney transplant, but they might be a match for someone in New Hampshire or Arizona and that person might have a loved one who's a match."
To be a kidney donor, you generally need to be at least 18 years old, in good physical and mental health, and free of certain medical conditions. Tests and consultations are conducted first, where those interested can learn more, and ask questions.
Dr. Witt says his team answers this question a lot:
"Yes, kidney donors live just as long as patients who haven't donated their kidneys," Dr. Witt laughed. "We get that all the time. Of the thousands of people in America in the past 30, 40 years who have donated their kidneys, there's been no observable change in total lifespan."
That's why people like Santino are anxiously hoping their match is out there.
"I have a beautiful 15-year-old daughter that makes me smile every day," Santino said with tears in his eyes. "I'm all she's got. She's all I got. And that right there is more than enough reason to be sitting here with you and begging somebody to say, 'hey, let me keep waking up to this.' You know, most people run from teenagers. I want to live with one."
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a donor, the TGH transplant institute's website has educational guides, along with a questionnaire you can fill out, and phone numbers you can call for more information.
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
The Source
Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Regina Gonzalez.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
02-08-2025
- Los Angeles Times
California man in dire need of a kidney transplant finds 1-in-100,000 match: His wife
For much of his adult life, Jim Irish was a self-proclaimed bachelor — moving cities every few years, too busy as a business executive and entrepreneur to devote much time to romantic endeavors. By the time he was in his mid-50s, he had pretty much given up on the idea of finding a life partner. But fate had other plans. Little did he know a wink on a dating app from an English teacher with a warm smile and three children would — five years later— have him exchanging vows in Hawaii. He and his new wife, Mirna, exchanged the customary promises to love and care for one another in sickness and in health. After nearly a decade of marriage, a grim diagnosis put those vows to the test. Jim, now 66, started having trouble with his kidneys about two decades ago. He managed the issue with medication for years. But nearly three years ago, doctors found a mass on his left kidney. Instead of removing it, surgeons performed a cryoablation, a minimally invasive procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy abnormal tissue. Complications during the procedure resulted in another surgery, he said. 'After several months my kidney function dropped by more than half, and it was at that time we realized I'm going to need a kidney transplant pretty quick,' he said. But 'transplant' and 'pretty quick' don't go hand in hand. Finding a suitable donor — one with the proper blood type, antibody levels and geographic location — all play a role. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that it can take two to five years or longer to find an appropriate match. The couple was devastated. 'He was so desperate and so sad. We were crying,' said Mirna Irish, 56. 'And he said, 'What am I going to do? What's going to happen?' And I just thought, 'I can give him my kidney.' ' Mirna has had her share of struggles. Her first marriage at age 18 ended in divorce, leaving her a single mother to three children. She lived in Mexico teaching English until her son, then 17 years old, was hit by a drunk driver in a crash that left him in a wheelchair. She left her home and job behind to move to the United States to get her son the care he needed. He now owns a business selling portable hand controls for disabled drivers and is happily married, Mirna said. Meeting Jim, she said, was like 'finding peace.' And she wasn't about to let that go. The need for donor organs nationwide is much greater than the supply. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network estimates that another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes. The odds of Jim and Mirna having compatible organs was a long shot — roughly one in 100,000. Still, Mirna said she would even donate to a stranger if it meant her husband could get an organ faster. The San Diego couple got the shock of a lifetime when they learned that Mirna's kidney was a genetic match to her husband's. 'It's very rare,' Jim said. 'Out of 12 genetic markers, four of them are identical matches.' But Jim still had more hurdles to overcome. He underwent a surgery to remove half his colon after suffering a bout of diverticulitis, and received iron infusions and hemoglobin shots. Then doctors found a 3-centimeter cancerous tumor on his right kidney. He underwent another cryoablation and as of a few weeks ago is cancer-free, he said. On Friday, Mirna will finally be able to give Jim the gift she's waited so long to deliver: a working kidney. If all goes according to plan, the couple hopes to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary next month in Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland and France. For Jim, it's hard not to feel lucky that the woman he waited so long to meet is also the person saving his life. 'We struggled so hard to find each other, we're not ready to let either one of us go,' he said, his voice catching with emotion. 'I can't imagine my life without her.' 'I think I'm here for a reason,' Mirna said. 'It's a blessing to be able to give life — and to give it to the love of my life, it's even better.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
What is fibermaxxing? The new TikTok trend that might be better for your gut health than protein
A new wellness trend on TikTok is putting fiber in the spotlight. For the last few months, health gurus have been all about protein, since it provides energy and builds and maintains muscle mass. As a result of the craze, many brands have even added protein to processed snacks like popcorn and sugary cereal. Now, social media influencers are making the summer all about fiber. The new fibermaxxing trend is all about intentionally adding more fiber to meals, with the help of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. On TikTok, Pamela who goes by the username @pamicakess, has shared her hack for improving her intake of fiber, which has known digestive system benefits. 'POV: your bloating disappeared & all you did was eat this every morning,' she wrote in the text over one video, shared on Tuesday. She went on to showcase her breakfast: a bowl of chia seed pudding with strawberries and goji berries, before honey was drizzled on top. 'Fiber packed & it's soooo good,' she wrote in the caption of her clip, which has more than 135,700 views. In June, she shared another video of her chia pudding, which included coconut flakes this time. 'POV: you're the friend who hits their daily fiber goal,' she wrote in the text over the clip. Pamela's videos followed those of health and wellness influencer Gigi, who hopped onto the fibermaxxing trend in May. She shared a video to her 93,000 followers on TikTok showing a recipe for carrot salad, and urging her followers to 'increase [their] fiber intake.' Along with carrots, the recipe included snow peas, red cabbage, green onions, garlic, and garlic granules. The dressing was made out of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and two optional ingredients: tahini and maple syrup. And according to Gigi, the meal had 12 to 15 grams of protein. Since adding more fiber to her diet, Gigi said that she saw an immense improvement in her gut health. 'When I struggled with barely getting any fiber in my diet, I constantly felt bloated, struggled with constipation, and dealt with recurring IBS flare-ups. My gut health would improve temporarily when I ate more veggies, but the inconsistency kept setting me back,' she wrote in the caption. 'When I committed to consistently tracking and hitting my fiber totals. I didn't just feel better, I watched my bloat disappear. From there, I made it a lifestyle shift.' Even experts have shown their support for fibermaxxing. Doctors behind Zoe Health, which offers personalized nutrition programs, shared a TikTok video in June advocating for how the trend is about 'shifting the focus from restriction to abundance by adding more fiber-rich plants to every meal.' The wellness trend comes after observational studies found a fiber deficiency among Americans. According to a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, only five percent of the population has the recommended amount of fiber a day. Inadequate intake can result in health issues like chronic constipation and gastrointestinal problems. Fiber offers numerous health benefits like aiding digestion, lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and decreasing the chances of constipation. There are two main types of fiber: soluble, which dissolves in water, and insoluble, which doesn't dissolve in water. According to the Mayo Clinic, soluble fiber 'forms a gel-like material in the stomach that slows down digestion.' This is found in foods like oats, peas, beans, bananas, avocados, citrus fruits, and carrots. Meanwhile, insoluble fiber 'supports the movement of material through the digestive system and adds bulk to stool.' It can be found in whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, and vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, and potatoes. The National Academy of Medicine recommended that women over 50 have 21 grams of fiber a day, while women 50 and under should have 25 grams. Meanwhile, men over 50 should have 30 grams of fiber, and men under 50 should have 38 grams.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Tampa General Hospital adding AquaFence again this year to prevent storm surge
The Brief Tampa General Hospital discussed its preparations for the hurricane season. The plans include the AquaFence, which protected the hospital from a potentially devastating storm surge last year. This year, TGH will also install an interior AquaFence to protect critical areas on the lower level. TAMPA - Tampa General Hospital leaders laid out their plan to protect the hospital during the 2025 hurricane season, during a news conference and tour on Wednesday. The AquaFence, which is TGH's first line of defense, successfully prevented Hurricane Helene's storm surge from flooding the hospital. It can reach up nine feet high, is bolted into the ground and protects against a 15-foot storm and 140-mile-an-hour winds. Dustin Pasteur, the hospital's Senior Vice President of Facilities and Construction, said more water helps strengthen the fence. "The more water you get, the stronger the system becomes because it's compressing all of these gaskets more and more together and down to the road tighter," Pasteur said. Pasteur said TGH will be adding a new interior AquaFence this year to protect departments on the lower level, including the emergency center, surgery services and the sterile procession department. What they're saying "We're bringing in a seven-and-a-half-foot AquaFence to put in the halls of the hospital and around the sterile processing department, because the first floor of the hospital is at 12 feet," Pasteur explained. "If you had a storm surge more than 15 feet, you could end up with a few feet of water in the hospital. This will protect that department." While the AquaFence is the first layer of protection, there are several more that have been added in recent years: workers will cover the manholes around the facility; there are emergency water wells for clean drinking water; and the hospital has an emergency generator room that raised 30 feet above ground to keep it safe from flooding. Hospital administrators also ensure enough supplies are brought in prior to a storm. "We receive over 10 semi-truck loads of supplies, including medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, food, water, linen, to make sure we can care for our patients," said Mark Campbell, Vice President of Supply Chain. It's all done to ensure the hospital keeps this promise: "Tampa General is open to serve this community and will remain that way before and after the storm," Tony Venezia, Vice President of TGH Public Safety. That's important, according to Pasteur, because TGH takes care of so many critical care patients, they can't be evacuated to other hospitals in Florida. READ: Hillsborough County seeking input on spending $709M in hurricane recovery funds "There's not enough critical care beds in the region to take those patients, but also logistically, you can't transport them safely or even with enough time, so you just can't evacuate," he said. "Instead, we've put enormous amount of thought and resources into protecting this campus here in storms, in floods and any other kind of disasters that we can contemplate because there's nowhere else for these patients to go. We're the place to take care of the most specialized cases, and we have to put in the measures to make sure we can do that no matter what." Big picture view Since the AquaFence was installed in 2019, TGH has needed to use it every year to protect the campus during a storm. As a result of the yearly need, the hospital plans to install it ahead of time. It'll be in place by August and stay installed until around Thanksgiving. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
