At the age of twenty, when Petra was working as a nurse, she had to stop her beloved athletics because of angina. “The doctor prescribed me antibiotics and I stayed at home. I thought that in a fortnight I would be healthy and then everything would go back to normal and I would start training again.” recalls a woman who today describes everything with a smile, but at the time she didn’t have much to laugh about.
In the end, everything turned out differently, because complications arose after taking antibiotics. “At first I was covered in dust. The doctors were convinced that it was an allergic reaction. After taking the antibiotics, the veins in my legs started to burst and I had to undergo a whole range of examinations.” Petra was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease affecting the joints, blood vessels and kidneys. Quite common angina thus resulted in extensive kidney disease.
16 years on medication
“It was a shock for me that came like a bolt from the blue, after all, I was only twenty years old. Despite all the efforts of the doctors, it was not possible to stop the disease,” describes the athlete, who clearly had to undergo treatment with corticoids and cytostatics. “I felt really terrible. At that moment I lost both my good mood and almost all my hair.’ It took 16 years to maintain kidney function with medication, but after they ran out, they failed.
Home dialysis
In order for Petra’s metabolism to function, it was necessary to replace kidney function with dialysis. She was lucky enough to be allowed to do it on her own at home. Although four times a day, at least she didn’t have to go to the hospital. “Home dialysis was fine. My good mood returned and with it the recovery went much faster. I was immediately better both mentally and physically. I was able to devote myself fully to my job as a nurse in a dental office and at the same time to dialysis.” remembers the athlete who loves not only athletics, but also skiing and hiking.
I was thinking about a donor…
Petra was also placed on the waiting list for a transplant and in less than a month she was given the option of a transplant from a suitable deceased donor. “I remember thinking the whole way to the hospital who the person was that I was going to get the organ from and how he probably died,” remembers Petra, who was thus able to undergo a successful transplant at Prague’s IKEM. Only minor complications followed the surgery itself, when it took two days for the kidney to adapt to the body and start working properly.
Nothing lasts forever, but it’s worth it
As soon as she got permission from the doctors, Petra started playing sports again after the transplant. She signed up for the World Transplant Games in Bangkok, Thailand, where she traveled a year after the operation. “I could only spend three months training before the races, and there was not much time for acclimatization in Bangkok,” he remembers. Even so, Petra placed on the podium for the sprint. “It’s a huge life experience for me. Both the organization of the games and the care of the athletes were excellent,” says the only woman of the Czech team who won bronze, among 1,100 athletes from 48 countries around the world.
She then started regularly riding with the Czech team at the World Sports Games. “I race just for fun, for a good feeling and mainly for myself. Emil Zátopek used to say: If you can’t, then add! But my creed is that if I can’t, then I really can’t add anymore,” describes his reasonable approach. Nevertheless, she has already competed, for example, in Malaga, Spain, or in Argentina. In total, she participated in the Games five times and has a nice collection of eleven medals at home, two of which are gold.
The kidney has reached its end
For the next fifteen years, Petra again enjoyed her life to the fullest, but then another blow came when the new kidney reached its end of life. “Transplanted kidneys do not last forever, the length of their function is individual. Some people use it for 5 years and others for 20 years. We have a patient in our dental office who has had a kidney transplant for 30 years.” explains.
“Nonetheless, it is worth it for those who can to undergo a transplant. After all, these are valuable years of good health and freedom that completely change the quality of life,” Peter encourages those who are hesitating whether to accept the doctors’ offer for a transplant.
Important information
“If someone is faced with the decision of whether to accept or donate a kidney, relevant information guaranteed by experts is important for them. As their source, I recommend the Transplantation is not Taboo website, where it is also possible to listen to the experiences of specific kidney recipients and donors. Donating a kidney to a loved one means the gift of a new life. The average duration of kidney function from a living donor is roughly twice that of a kidney from a deceased donor, i.e. 20 years or more.” adds MUDr. Silvie Rajnochová Bloudíčková, Ph.D., head of the IKEM Nephrology and Transplant Clinic.
Head of the IKEM Nephrology Clinic Silvie Rajnochová-Bloudíčková
Author: Blesk Photo – Tonda Tran
Another second chance
Petra’s autoimmune disease plays a major role in the failure of the transplanted kidney. “I had to go through the whole process again from dialysis to all the nervousness. I stopped running, going to work again, and covid came into all of that.” he remembers another difficult period. Unfortunately, home dialysis was no longer possible for her, so she had to go to the hospital three times a week for five hours. “That was the biggest disaster in my life, the loss of freedom,” claims Petra, who once again underwent corticoid treatment and her hair looked good again.
After a successful four-month dialysis, Petra was put on the waiting list again. This time, a suitable deceased donor appeared after three quarters of a year, and she underwent the transplant again at IKEM. “For me it was much harder the second time because I knew what I was getting into. For the first time I was blown away and everything was new. The second time, I already knew how everything would go. But the care at IKEM is great, I wasn’t afraid of that, I just had to think about the fact that there could be complications. In addition, the operation took place in the time of Covid and no one could visit me during the whole time, that was sad.”
Today, Petra feels well again. “It’s fine now. I’m going to work again. I only take classic drugs, such as immunosuppressants, corticoids, blood pressure powder and uric acid medication,” names Peter. He plans to put on running shoes and train again in April. In July, he is preparing for another race, this time in Lisbon. “I promised to fly, but I haven’t even run yet,” Laughs. “Fifteen years ago I was doing better after that transplant, but I can still do it now!” he concludes with an optimism of his own.
“She has to keep living!” Mom Olga described the rescue of her daughter Jana (43) for Blesk. She donated her kidney Bára Holá, Lukáš Červený
Head of the IKEM Nephrology Clinic Silvie Rajnochová-Bloudíčková
