patient stories

Kidney care comes full circle

Jacee Numbrado, dialysis tech at the Cogen Center in Bremerton.

At the young age of 18, while living in the Philippines, Jacee Numbrado was diagnosed with glomerular nephritis, resulting in end-stage kidney disease. He had been experiencing gouty arthritis symptoms for a week when he awoke one night with such intense pain, he was taken to the hospital where lab studies revealed a high creatinine level. He was given the choice of treating his condition with medication or starting dialysis. Jacee opted for medication which sadly did not help— he ended up going on dialysis two times a week while living in the Philippines.

Jacee and his family moved to the United States in 2019; he started dialysis at Olympic Peninsula Kidney Center (now Puget Sound Kidney Centers-Cogen Bremerton) that June. Soon after, with the support of clinic staff—who Jacee says “were always positive, made him feel comfortable and hopeful”—Jacee decided to pursue a kidney transplant.

In August 2021, Jacee received a kidney transplant at Virginia Mason. He did well during his weeklong stay in the hospital and was then released for observation at home for a month.

In July 2022, Jacee was hired as a dialysis technician at Puget Sound Kidney Centers-Cogen Bremerton. He is now helping provide care where he himself received care—a true full circle. Jacee wants to bring back what he received as a patient—hope and positivity.

“Every day is a new day and the staff at PSKC made this possible for me,” he says, “so I hope to do the same for patients I care for.”

Helping fellow patients live their best lives

On any given day, you might see Bob Crabtree teaching a class on how to make low-sodium sourdough bread as part of our CKD education program, leading an online support group for kidney patients, or presiding over a PSKC Foundation Board meeting to discuss ways to raise funds for PSKC and our patients. Recently retired from a 38- year career as a mechanic, Bob works tirelessly for people with kidney disease.

“Having a deadly chronic disease is terrifying to think about, let alone live,” he says. “If I had to deal with this alone, I’m not sure my outcome would have been as positive as it has.”

Diagnosed with polycystic kidneys as a child, Bob learned early on that his kidneys would likely fail in the future.“When you’re told at age 12 that you won’t live to see 50, you don’t take anything for granted.”

For Bob, education, preparation and the support of his family and friends were key in helping him manage his kidney disease, dialysis and eventual transplant. “My wife, Robin, along with my father and mother were very supportive. I was lucky to have a support system in place.”

Bob fondly remembers the support he received from a fellow patient during his first dialysis treatment—a simple act of kindness when he needed it most that ignited his lifelong desire to help other kidney patients. When asked why he works so hard, Bob says, “I’m happy to pay forward the gifts of kindness that have been given to me.”

How one patient’s love of sports impacts the health of his community

Top to bottom: Jon today, Jon circa 1983, and Jon with his family.

Meet Jon. M—Jon dialyzes at our Smokey Point Kidney Center and has been coaching basketball, football and baseball since he was 16 years old. At age 4, Jon was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He credits his love of sports and his participation in sports for making such a difference in his health.

“I know I am still alive because I ran so much playing basketball,” he says.

Jon has lived his entire life in the Tulalip area and still has a hand in coaching the Tulalip Men’s baseball team, even travelling with them recently for a tournament. Players on the team range in age from 17 to 55 and while his son is “officially” their coach, Jon provides input whenever and wherever needed.

He also stays active by attending local games whenever he gets a chance—he recently went to see the Seattle Storm and the Seattle Mariners, and has also gone to see the Everett Silvertips and Aquasox, despite his busy dialysis schedule.

Jon’s coaching experience started when he was the assistant to the Parks and Recreation Department of the Tulalip Tribes—he had a knack for getting kids into sports, even if they were hesitant at first.

“At one point I had 50 kids show up, and I got every one of them involved in some way.”

Jon stopped actively playing when he was in his late thirties and made coaching his focus—he’s since coached basketball, football and baseball teams, proud that they’ve played some of the best teams in the area and even if they did not win, they always kept it close and competitive.

Jon’s impressed with the Tulalip Tribe’s focus in recent years on building new venues for sports, like baseball and football fields with Astroturf, a step up from the muddy fields where Jon played growing up. Jon also has another interest; his 10-year-old grandson has just started playing basketball. The legacy continues!

A dedication to helping others

Kidney failure did not come as a surprise for Richard Beach; almost 25 years ago, he was told that his kidneys had begun deteriorating and that one day, he might need treatment. He closely monitored his creatinine levels and was able to put that off for many years.

About two years ago, to learn more about kidney disease and how to live well with it, Richard and his wife attended Puget Sound Kidney Centers’ chronic kidney disease education program, Survive and Thrive. He describes this six-week program as “very concise” and a great way to reteach them how to menu plan, shop, and prepare foods that were tailored to their health needs and, helpfully, how to “cut corners with salt.” Richard really appreciated the PSKC program, taught by various medical professionals, especially the level of detail provided and the amount of time allotted for discussion each week—talking through examples and experiences other patients have had really helped reinforce the impact changing behaviors can have.

Richard is currently retired from the Air Force and a phone company but continues to volunteer his time as a critical member of the Snohomish County Emergency Management team, developing and implementing radio communication for natural disasters, including earthquakes, fires, floods. The team prepares for any situation that communication may be compromised (i.e. loss of internet) so that emergency services can continue to operate and provide help to those who need it. They also look at ways of linking with other networks on the state and federal level, so that key information regarding events can be handled appropriately. He is part of a core group of volunteers who, up until the coronavirus pandemic, were meeting twice a week at Paine Field in Everett. They now still meet once a week but hope to ramp back up in the near future.

These days, Richard dialyzes at Puget Sound Kidney Centers’ Mountlake Terrace facility, having started a couple of months ago, and is feeling better already. Richard, we certainly hope we won’t need your radio skills, though we’re sure glad that you and your team are there in an emergency!

Living Life to the Fullest

Musician, actress, singer, poet, activist, student and social worker are all titles held by Andrea Skywalker over the course of her extraordinary life. Born in Germany to a German mother and a Black American/Cherokee father, she credits her father’s military background and her mother’s meticulous nature with instilling in her a discipline and drive that would help her pursue her many interests. She has traveled extensively, and, with a degree in Human Services, she has enjoyed a long career as a social worker for the State of Washington. During her tenure as a social worker, she worked with victims of domestic violence, seniors and other people in need. “I like helping people who can’t help themselves.” She adds, “I want to leave something positive and beautiful in this world to promote unity.” Andrea enjoys the performing arts and has appeared on the stage and screen as a singer, musician and actress. She continues to perform at local venues.

In 1999 she suffered a major stroke which left her in the hospital for 2 months. She had to re-learn how to walk, talk and function, and her determination would be essential in her rehabilitation efforts, “As soon as I could walk, I went back to work. Never give up” she advises based on her own experience. When her doctor told her six years ago that her kidney function was declining and she should prepare for dialysis, Andrea was adamant that dialysis was not for her and she managed to keep her kidneys functioning for six more years. Eventually her kidneys would fail and she was faced with the ultimate choice. At this point, she did choose to continue living with the aid of dialysis treatments; “I decided I’m too busy to die.” Just a few months after beginning dialysis Andrea celebrated the debut of her first book, entitled “The World As I See It.” Now Andrea has just completed a second book and will soon be recording a music CD. She shares, “Even though dialysis is time consuming and takes up three days of each week, I often think about where I’d be without the dialysis. I choose to be grateful and to be happy that I’m still alive.

Enjoy a poem from Andrea’s new book, “The World As I See It”:

I’M SUPPOSED TO LIVE
I GOT THINGS TO GIVE
I GOT PLACES TO SEE
DON’T YA KNOW
I GOT PLACES TO GO
IN WIND – RAIN – AND SNOW
AND THE CLOCK KEEPS TICKING
REAL SLOW

WHEN I WAS 63
I WAS TIRED AND CRANKY
AND MY PRESSURE
WAS WAY TOO HIGH
AS MY KIDNEYS WERE FAILING
AND I LAY AILING
I WOKE UP AND SAID
NO – I’M NOT GOING TO DIE

I’M SO LUCKY I GET A SECOND CHANCE
TO WALK AND TALK
AND LEARN HOW TO DANCE
MAYBE FIND A LITTLE ROMANCE
TO APPRECIATE EACH MOMENT AND SAY
HOW ARE YOU TODAY

LET’S TAKE A CHANCE
AND DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
CAUSE I’M SUPPOSED TO LIVE

By Andrea Skywalker @2017