By Laura Archazki-Pacter
The Naples Daily News
NORTH NAPLES, Fla. — When Angela Coffey sent an urgent email out to her friends and colleagues, she didn’t know who would reply. Of the many emails she sent throughout her years, this one was the hardest for her to compose.
She began her email explaining her story: Fighting type 2 diabetes, starting her family, and coming to terms with a diagnosis she never expected, just two years after her third child was born — her kidneys were shutting down. Her email was a sincere request for a kidney donor.
Coffey, 37, began kidney dialysis, going three nights a week after long work days at North Naples Fire Department as a full-time administrative assistant. The pain can be excruciating at times, paired with insomnia, and her health issues became more urgent as time went on.
“I have my good weeks and my bad weeks,” said Coffey.
She was placed on Florida’s registry for a kidney transplant, where she waited for almost two years for a donor to match her blood type.
“It’s the scariest thing, just not knowing when it will happen, is all I can say. You’re just waiting in limbo, and that’s the scariest thing for me.”
Turns out, her fears were lessened by brave men who worked close by in the fire station. One by one, they signed up for testing to become kidney donors with Jackson Memorial Hospital. Each firefighter endured testing at the Miami hospital, to try to help a friend and co-worker get through a difficult journey to get a new kidney.
“Having worked with her dad and her brother at the fire department, it’s always been a family feel for me to be a friend to (Angela’s) family,” said Capt. Nick Ford, who was one of the first to sign up to become a donor for Coffey. “It was an easy decision for me.
“The process was very simple, as it was a very simple blood draw,” Ford said. “My blood and her blood were drawn within 24 hours of each other and shipped to Jackson Memorial Hospital for cross-match and genetic testing. Then, the next step after that, was that I drove to Miami for a full day of testing. More blood tests and more EKGs, CT scans, abdominal X-rays and a full physical. Within two weeks, they will call to say if we are compatible or not in the six genetic markers, as to whether or not to go forward.”
And if his blood markers don’t pair up, there are five more firefighters who have lined up to donate a kidney to Coffey. Firefighters Pat Browne, Jeff Morse, Jack Bills, Dale Fey and Paul Manguso all stopped by Coffey’s desk at Fire Station 45 to tell her they would be willing donors.
When asked what advice he would give to others deciding to become organ donors, Ford’s answer was simply, “Don’t be afraid of it.”
There are more than 82,000 people waiting in the U.S. for a kidney transplant, according to the National Kidney Registry. Donors can help change the course of another’s life, providing the ultimate gift.
“They shouldn’t be afraid of any impact on their lives. The risks would be the same as with any other surgery. It’s about helping others,” Ford said.
Those who would like to reach out to send caring wishes to Coffey and her family can do so on Facebook at a page started just for her called “Angelas Angels,” or participate Friday in a fundraiser at California Pizza Kitchen at Waterside Shops in North Naples.
The restaurant will donate 20 percent of its proceeds toward Coffey’s kidney transplant costs if customers bring in a flier, which can be found on the Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002682100254
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