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For Elizabeth and TJ Atkinson of Houston, the years have flown by as they've filled their lives with marriage, work, and raising children. “We were too busy living our lives to prioritize our health,” Elizabeth told TODAY.com.
After more than 20 years together, Elizabeth weighed 248 pounds and was one sandwich away from reaching 250 pounds. TJ weighed 330 and had type 2 diabetes. They realized it was time to take care of their health and in February 2019, weight watchers together.
The program was helpful to them. They learned that they could eat any food they wanted by budgeting their Weight Watchers points. They started eating more vegetables. I also met regularly with people who were facing the same challenges, which gave me support.
By the end of 2019, Elizabeth's weight was down to 150 pounds, and by the end of 2020, TJ's weight was down to 200 pounds. “I don't want to say it's been easy, but I have the support and the steps in front of me. It's been easier than I expected,” she says. In fact, she was so enthusiastic about the program that she started working for WeightWatchers in early 2020.
By losing weight, they felt stronger and healthier. “We were on top of the world. We had reached our goal weights, were active and felt great,” she says.
Then they received a devastating diagnosis.
TJ learns he needs a kidney transplant.
Like many diabetics, TJ had problems with blood circulation. “One of the things you really have to be careful about is your feet. I had a cut on my foot that got infected and eventually got sepsis,” he says.
He required hospitalization, and tests during his stay revealed that he had stage 4 kidney disease. He immediately started dialysis and was placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, which can take up to 10 years.
Dialysis was difficult. He required 4 hours of treatment every other day and slept 20 hours on his days off. “I feel so tired and weak afterwards that my body cramps up,” he says. It was difficult to take a shower and I couldn't swim in the pool because the chest port wouldn't get wet.
“He lost a year and a half of our life. He couldn't participate in our celebrations, birthdays, holidays. He was at home sleeping,” says Elizabeth. . “Although he was still physically alive, he was unable to participate in any of our social life, volunteer work, work, or the community service activities that we love so much.”
Additionally, there was a risk of death from kidney failure. “When I first got the diagnosis, the doctors said I was likely to become a widow at 42. It was very scary,” she says.
Looking for a path to a donor kidney
Elizabeth immediately looked to see if she could donate one of her kidneys to TJ. She was thrilled to discover that she had already cleared one major hurdle by losing weight.
“To be eligible to donate, your BMI must be below 24. I've also lost weight. When I first started WeightWatchers, my BMI was 42. Until I lost weight, I was eligible. “I wouldn't have been able to do that,” she says.
Still, it took 11 months to qualify as a donor. “I was wondering if it could be done that quickly, but they want to make sure they give the recipient the best possible kidney,” she says. They check you from head to toe, inside and out. “There shouldn't even be a cavity. If there is a cavity, it needs to be filled before it can be donated,” says Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's blood type did not match TJ's, so she entered a kidney partner exchange program. The program allows people to donate a kidney and be paired with another donor. Donors do not need to be close relatives. Anyone who is willing and able to donate is welcome to participate.
After three months, the program was able to establish an exchange. Elizabeth will receive a kidney from a 65-year-old woman in Denver, and TJ will receive a kidney from a 20-year-old college student in Pittsburgh.
“We were so excited. It was like our prayers had been answered and now we were able to keep my husband. It was a big deal. We have been lovers since childhood and have grown up together. , I was going to grow older,” Elizabeth says.
Four surgeries were performed on the same day across the U.S.
October 27, 2022 was the surgery date. Elizabeth's surgery came first. Surgeons removed her left kidney and sent it to Denver. “We were praying for good weather and for everything to go well, because even if I donated, if the recipient didn't get his, TJ wouldn't get his. ” she says. Fortunately, it worked brilliantly.
Later that afternoon, TJ's donor underwent surgery in Pittsburgh, and her kidney was airlifted to Houston. TJ's surgery took eight hours, and his new kidney was already functioning before it was stitched up.
“That day was the best day of my life,” Elizabeth says. “You would think it would be the day you marry the person you love or the day you have a child. But for me, it was knowing that I could continue to protect my husband.”
Their recovery journeys were completely different. TJ says: When you are on dialysis, only 15% of your kidneys are functional. Immediately after the operation my condition was already 70% and I felt much better. People kept telling me, “You got your color back.” You've got your sense of humor back. ”You don’t realize how much it consumes you until you recover. ”
Elizabeth's surgery was much more invasive and she experienced more pain and discomfort. She was in bed on her side for a month, only getting up to go to the bathroom. “It was the most excruciating pain of my life, but I was also the happiest I've ever been. I knew it would get better,” she says.
She continued working, turning off her camera and joining Zoom calls from her bed. After 2 months, she felt much better and after 4-5 months she was completely healed and was able to return to the gym.
TJ returned to work in May of the following year after undergoing recovery and follow-up appointments to check for healing and signs of organ rejection.
They focus on building physical fitness and making time to travel
TJ's new kidney is working well and his health is improving. The transplant process caused weight fluctuations for both of them, especially TJ. “I had to take steroids to suppress my immune system, which caused me to gain weight. I got back up to 270 and now I'm down to 230,” he says.
They expect that they will need to continue working to manage their weight. “In real life, your weight doesn't drop to a single number and then stay there linearly. There will still be fluctuations,” Elizabeth says.
They are both getting back into fitness, with Elizabeth starting strength training in January. “I fell in love with weightlifting,” she says.
TJ is starting to exercise again. “I didn't realize how much stamina this would take away, so now I'm saving up stamina. You need that stamina to walk around the theme park or go camping. So the next step Then you’ll be doing more exercise,” he says.
The couple saved up enough energy to take their first vacation in years, a trip to Disney with their two adult children. “We were tired, but if you walked all day at a theme park for seven days in a row, you'd get tired. We weren't tired. It was possible. And we had to ride all the rides.” “It didn't happen,” Elizabeth says.
For their 30th wedding anniversary in two years, Elizabeth is planning a holiday to Scotland. “That's my ultimate dream destination,” she says. “And after we get through everything, we'll see it together.”
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