Local Teacher Fighting Time in Kidney Disease Battle
Lisa Patrick
Ashland Beacon
Up until this past May, BJ Fraley was just living life like everyone else. He was teaching full-time at Oakview Elementary, volunteering at the Dressing Room whenever he could, taking regular everyday care of his children as well as helping to coach some of their sporting events, and also being their taxi wherever they needed to go. Then, in April, he got sick and his life as he knew it changed forever. Although it changed for the worse for his health, Fraley will be the first to say that it also changed his perspective on “what is important.”
When Fraley was admitted into the hospital on April 28, his GFR was down to 13% which meant that he was in Stage 5 kidney failure. Two days later, he was going to be discharged because he had not gotten better, but he had also not gotten worse. He was going to be treated with small changes to his diet (“I had to give up my Redbulls.”) and having his blood work monitored every two to four weeks with no plans to do dialysis at first, but he was still being referred to for an evaluation for a kidney transplant.
However, he was not discharged on April 30th. He decided to go through with a kidney biopsy which meant staying in the hospital for a few more days. On May 5, not only was he still admitted, he was starting dialysis. Dialysis “cleans” the blood similar to how a person’s kidneys should and keeps the organs from shutting down.
His oldest daughter, Sarah Fraley, graduated from ACTC on May 6th. He was unable to attend the ceremony, but she proudly came into his hospital room wearing her cap and gown to show off her diploma. By May 8, he was being discharged and his girlfriend, Brandi Dunn, was glad that he was back to looking and sounding like himself even if it included “his puns and dad jokes.” She said that she had “panicked” when he “stopped making terrible jokes.”
Fraley began doing dialysis four days a week for five hours a day. By July, he was back on the YMCA basketball court helping coach his daughter, Ayralynn’s youth summer league team. He was also well enough to attend some 4th of July celebrations and watch the fireworks with his family at Summer Motion. Dunn began to learn all of the ins and outs of the dialysis system so that Fraley could start doing his treatments at home.
At the end of July, Fraley and Dunn went to the UK Transplant Center in Lexington to start the evaluation process for a deceased kidney donor but both of them stated that a “living donor is a MUCH better option.” The waitlist for a deceased donor is five to seven years long. He would have to stay on dialysis the entire time, and the chances for a successful transplant decrease the longer a person is on dialysis. They cannot travel more than five hours away from the transplant center because, whenever the call comes, they have to be there within five hours or the kidney goes to another donor. Living donor kidneys “tend to work better and last longer” and, with a living donor, they would be able to plan ahead of time for all of the details that will need to be taken care of while Fraley is hospitalized.
At the beginning of August, all of the supplies arrived for Fraley to begin doing dialysis at home. Dunn decided to name the dialysis machine “Howard.” The couple said, “We’re doing our best to keep living, laughing, and loving no matter what. So that means machines get names.” On top of both of them working full-time jobs-Dunn works as the school-based Pathways therapist at Cannonsburg Elementary-they are now committed to twenty hours a week with Fraley lying in a hospital recliner in their bedroom hooked up to a machine. Also, while they set up the machine, no one is allowed in the room, so the children are locked out during setup time.
The process of getting a kidney transplant is very expensive. The travel to and from doctor’s appointments, the hotel stays, and the time off work all take a toll on the family’s finances. Also, the cost of the transplant itself along with the time off work that it will mean for both of them will be something that has to be considered. Both of them being off work all summer and their oldest daughter also needing medical care has already put a big hit to their finances. They have started a GoFundMe account to help with all of the expenses that they expect to face in the future. Donations can be sent to https://gofund.me/ef02c365.
While Fraley has had plenty of time to “contemplate life or possibly the lack thereof,” he has also managed to make many memories since that terrible time in May. These memories help Fraley to remember to “stay healthy, get this kidney, and enjoy life’s moments” because “it’s not the destination, it’s the ride.” He wants to thank all of the people for the support he has received from his school faculty, his family and Dunn’s family, and the people who have prayed, donated, and provided meals and snacks for his family when he has had to be in the hospital and for the times that he and Dunn were not able to work.
Fraley is blood type O+ and information on becoming a living donor can be found at https://uchealth.donorscreen.org/register/now or at ukhealthcare.uky.edu/transplant.
