DES MOINES, Iowa — As Jessica and Galdino Ramirez sat across the dining room table from one another Friday afternoon in their Des Moines home, their love for each other shined from their eyes, and was reflected in their words and actions.
The Ramirezes have known each other for over two decades. Now, the couple has four healthy children, and they've all been through some ups and downs, especially over the past four years.
In 2019, Galdino heard the hard news that he was having kidney failure. After ultrasounds and many doctor's appointments, a kidney transplant was the only option to get him back to his healthy self.
After 11 months on the organ donor waitlist, he received a successful kidney transplant and the Ramirezes assumed everything was okay, allowing them to return to their lives full of action -- thanks to their energetic children who keep them on the go.
Two months later, Galdino received a call from the organ transplant team because he was rejecting his newly transplanted kidney.
In fact, rejection medication only weakened Ramirez's immune system. In September of 2022, doctors found a bacteria called FSGS in his blood, which causes the kidneys to scar, requiring him to do plasma exchange.
Ramirez now does plasma treatments three times a week, which severely weakens his body because it removes nearly 80% of his plasma, replacing it with new plasma and medicine.
In more recent months, Ramirez's kidney health has declined even further. His kidney only operates at 13% of its total functionality, which is an even lower rater than before he received his first organ transplant.
Now, the Ramirezes are waiting for a second organ donor so Galdino can receive a new kidney. The only other option is dialysis, but Galdino doesn't want to opt-in for that direction.
In the meantime, Jessica is doing everything in her power to spread the word about her husband's health. She has posted flyers around Des Moines, and in her neighborhood, and created posts on Facebook asking to spread the word about their need for an organ donor, which have been shared hundreds of times.
"I'm just doing what needs to be done," Jessica said.
Ramirez has O+ blood type, the most common in the world, and is routinely in short supply because of its high demand.
In the Midwest, the average time spent on a wait list to receive an organ transplant is 3-5 years, Unity Point Des Moines told Local 5 News. However, healthcare companies generally have individuals off the list in 9 months to a year.
If you're interested in becoming an organ donor, you can call Methodist Transplant Center at 515-241-4044.