My name is Otto Tertinek and I have spent my entire adult life providing service—to my country, as a soldier in the U.S. Army (Vietnam Era); to my state as a Park Patrolman in Allegany State Park; to the environment, as an Environmental Conservation Police Investigator; to my church, as an Eucharistic minister,  funeral alter server, hospitality server, and as a member of the Knights of Columbus; and to my community as an Alderman for the City of Olean and currently as a Zoning Board of Appeals member and Civilian Review Board Member.

Now I am asking someone to provide a service to me. I am in End Stage Renal Failure, and I need a kidney. You could be my direct donor with Type O blood.

I am Type O Positive blood, the universal donor. Knowing that I am a universal donor, I concertedly donated blood through the Red Cross throughout my life. Over the years, I donated over 5 quarts of blood for those in need. While Type O Positive blood can donate to any blood type, it can only accept Type O, leaving me with limited donor options.

Those of you who know me know that I am a planner. I like to be organized; I like to have a map. Now I am planning and mapping out my future. While timelines are unclear, here are the current four scenarios:

Plan A: Find a living donor as soon as possible. Ideally, while I still feel healthy and before dialysis is required.

Plan B: Family members are seeing if they can become approved as a living donor for someone else. Because they are not a blood type match for me, there is a paired living donor program, so they could donate to someone that had a donor for me. This can take 12-18 months or more.

Plan C: Wait for a deceased donor match. The current wait list for my blood type (O) is about 5 years.

Plan D: Begin dialysis while waiting for the other options to come through. This is very disruptive to general health and not a long-term solution.

Why am I sharing, perhaps over sharing? I need as much support as I can get identifying opportunities that keep me from scenario D. This is not easy for me, but I know it is the right thing to do. Being more public helps to inform people in my network. Plan A is to find a living donor. Your help in sharing my story can make the difference. Plus, the more prayers and positive energy the better!

A few final notes for potential donors:

• While an O blood type is required (about 30% of the population) there are other elements to being a good donor. My health team at ECMC Buffalo Transplant Center has a 20 minute screening survey for any potential donors. Please call Deanne at ECMC, 716-898-6283, and tell her you’d like to take the survey to see if you would be a match for me.
• Once approved as a donor, medical expenses for the donor procedure and after care are covered by my insurance.
• The process is private. I will have no idea who is being screened or where they are in the process. This is to avoid any pressure along the way.
• There is no commitment until the day of the procedure. At any time in the screening process, the potential donor can opt out.
• Is your blood type O or do you know someone who is? We are looking for people who are willing to be tested as a match and to bring awareness to kidney disease.

Thanks again for reading, for taking the time to share this, and for considering giving me the gift of life. My family and I can feel your support already.

All my best,
Otto