NJ Security Officer Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of a Successful Kidney Transplant 

But for Dwayne Humes, 61, a security officer at Hackensack University Medical Center, this month, specifically March 21^st, is a particularly significant date in his life. One year ago, the US Air Force veteran who has worked at the facility for more than 31 years, underwent a kidney transplant – a delicate medical procedure that his medical team has since determined was successful. 

Prior to his kidney transplant, Humes, a single parent of three adult children, two sons and one daughter, had lived with diabetes for 22 years. “It’s something that runs deep in our family,” he said. 

But Humes, who lives in Little Ferry, New Jersey, refused to let his health problems stop him from enjoying life, saying that he looked to his physicians and others for recommendations on how to improve the way he was living. 

“When I learned that I had to begin dialysis, there were logistics that I had to immediately work out: how to fit my job around going to dialysis, where to go for treatment when I was out of town and how to improve my diet,” he said.

Because diabetes and kidney disease hit Blacks more than any others in America, I have since told my friends and family that it’s important to be aware and to be willing to make changes in your lifestyle. As for dialysis, it’s not a death sentence.”

Humes recalls when he realized that he would need a kidney transplant and the tough decisions he was forced to make.  

“Even though the doctors told me the best case scenario is to find a living donor, I didn’t allow my children to even consider donating one of their kidneys,” he said. “I have had a good life – they still have so many years ahead of them. So, I got on the list and waited.”

In fact, Humes, while undergoing dialysis, waited 2 years, 11 months and 3 weeks before his kidney transplant. 

“The donated kidney did not come from a family member; I don’t know who it came from,” he said. “But I’ve already drafted a letter of thanks and asked my social worked to share it with the family. They usually require you to wait at least one year before you’re allowed to contact the family of the donor. I just want to meet them and let me them know how thankful I am because they helped me regain my life – a better quality of life.” 

Humes speaks about two “angels” in his life: his physician, Hackensack University Medical Center’s Dr. Michael Goldstein, director of Abdominal Organ Transplantation, and his mother.

“I remember meeting Dr. Goldstein while I was working security and he had on Eagles paraphernalia,” he said. “I’m a Giants fan, so we joked about it. When my nephrologist told me my kidneys were in decline, I think something led me to Dr. Golden. I asked him if he would be interested in performing the surgery and he said it would be a pleasure. We formed a friendship and we’ve been tight ever since.

“It’s been a prophetic walk in a lot of ways. My mother died last year, in January, a few months before the transplant. She was a praying woman and she encouraged me on the days I had to go for dialysis and often I was not feeling well. Dialysis was four hours, three days a week and I went early in the morning at 5 a.m. Then, I would take a two hour break and then go back to my job at the hospital. God was there for me, first and foremost. But so was my mother and Dr. Golden.” 

A Few Facts to Know about Kidney Disease 

If you are Black, Hispanic or Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, American Indian, or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander heritage you may be at an increased risk for kidney disease. African Americans are more than 3 times as likely and Hispanics or Latinos are 1.3 times more likely to have kidney failure compared to white Americans.

Minority populations have much higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, all of which increase the risk for kidney disease. Access to healthcare may also play a role. The key is to determine if you have kidney disease as early as possible and understand its risk factors before the trouble starts. Regular testing for everyone is important and is especially important for people at risk.

Remember that healthy kidneys have many important jobs. They remove waste products and extra water from your body, help make red blood cells, help keep your bones healthy and help control blood pressure. When you have kidney disease, kidney damage keeps the kidneys from doing these important jobs the way they should. Kidney damage may be due to a physical injury or a disease like diabetes, high blood pressure, or other health problems. 

If you have kidney disease, you may need to take medicines, limit salt and certain foods in your diet, get regular exercise and more. Finding and treating your kidney disease early can help slow or even stop kidney disease from getting worse. But if your kidney disease gets worse, it can lead to kidney failure. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.

Anyone can get kidney disease at any age. However, some people are more likely than others to get it. These are the five main risk factors of kidney disease: diabetes; high blood pressure; heart disease; family history of kidney failure, diabetes or high blood pressure; and obesity.  

Knowing if you are at risk for kidney disease is the first step toward leading a healthier life.