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AAKP Ambassador Lisa Pappas Shares Her Lifelong Journey with Diabetes and Kidney Disease

Doctors diagnosed Lisa Pappas with type 1 diabetes at the young age of four. Her mother noticed sudden changes in her behavior like constant hunger and thirst, along with emotional outbursts. After a visit to the pediatrician, Lisa was rushed to the emergency room after tests revealed her blood sugar levels were extremely high. It was determined that Lisa’s diabetes was caused by a virus that damaged her pancreas and caused her body to no longer make insulin. She was prescribed insulin injections that she would need once a day.

Growing up, Lisa’s family helped her adjust to being a diabetic. She had to follow a nutrition plan, but her parents still tried to make sure she could enjoy treats, like other children did, in moderation. Lisa stated that sugar-free snacks were not readily available where she lived in Rhode Island. However, her grandfather traveled to New York for work and would often bring back sugar-free candy for Lisa to enjoy. Likewise, her parents provided the neighborhood ice cream truck with hard-to-find sugar-free popsicles so Lisa would not feel left out.

Technology improved as Lisa grew up and her parents always tried to get her the best, most advanced care. They even took out a loan to be able to afford a home glucose monitoring machine. Before that, her home tests were done by putting tablets into urine samples.

As she grew up, her kidney function was a concern as well. At the age of 12, Lisa attended a camp for kids with diabetes. All the kids received medical testing at camp, and one of the tests was for kidney health. Lisa remembers that this was the first time she learned her kidney function was declining.

After high school, Lisa started working as a medical secretary at the hospital. Her diabetes was under control, but her kidney function was continuing to decline. During this time, Lisa also struggled with vision issues because of her diabetes, leading to the loss of vision in her right eye at the age of 25.

In 2000, her doctor prescribed high blood pressure medication to slow down the disease progression. She also made some additional changes to her diet at that point, including reducing her salt intake. Her doctors also started discussing the need for a kidney transplant.

A few years later, in August 2005, Lisa had a pre-emptive kidney transplant from a living donor who was a friend of hers. Sadly, that kidney never functioned for Lisa. In February 2006, Lisa started in-center hemodialysis. She was on dialysis for two years. Lisa’s family and friends were extremely supportive and helped her live her best life despite her health restrictions as a young adult. With their support, she was able to travel to Nashville and Orlando for vacations, undergoing dialysis in-center while on both trips.

In February 2008, Lisa received a second kidney transplant, this time from a deceased donor who was a perfect match. This second kidney functioned for 13 years and allowed Lisa to return to work at the hospital. However, in 2015 she had several falls leading to a broken femur and hip due to weakened bones from long-term medication use. In 2019, she lost her kidney transplant due to an infected permcath and became septic because it spread to the metal in her hip. She was in the hospital for seven weeks. Additionally, a few years later, Lisa lost her right foot due to a diabetic ulcer.

Lisa received her third and current kidney transplant from a deceased donor in March 2022. She is doing well and is enjoying life to the best of her ability. Lisa shares that she lives alone, cleans, cooks, and drives. As a hobby, she enjoys making decorative cards and papercrafts. She says, “I’m very lucky to have a lot of good, positive people in my life who help and support me.”

Lisa encourages fellow kidney patients to stay positive and offers these tips:

• Take care of yourself the best you can.
• Utilize whatever help is available to you.
• Live every day to its fullest.

Lisa found AAKP when fellow AAKP Ambassador Paul Rakoski suggested, while at the Transplant Games in 2016, that she join the organization. Lisa was part of Team New England and played Bocce, Cornhole, and Trivia. She won a silver medal in Bocce.

Pre-emptive Kidney Transplant is when a patient gets a transplant before they have to go on dialysis. Studies show this can result in better kidney and health outcomes. This type of transplant is more likely if a person has a living donor. The sooner you learn about your treatment choices, the better. This will give you time to decide if a transplant is best for you.

Additional Resources:

AAKP’s Kidney Transplantation webpage: https://bit.ly/AAKP-kidneytransplantation

Understanding Kidney Transplantation brochure: https://bit.ly/AAKPtransplantationbrochure