Mumzie needs a new kidney

SACO — Amy Northrop describes herself as a “behind the scenes” sort of a person.

The 50-year-old Saco resident and former special education teacher has gone out of her comfort zone and tiptoed closer to the forefront with a campaign to get a new kidney.

Northrop has end stage renal failure. Every night for the past five years, she heads to the “dialysis room” she’s set up in her house, sets her machine up and goes through dialysis for eight to ten hours.

This in itself is enough to lead for a not-so-restful night of sleep, but coupled with pain disease RSD, it makes it extremely hard to get quality sleep. Adding to this is Northrop has anemia, making her even more fatigued. It’s frustrating to not have the energy to do routine chores around the house, and it’s been hard to let go and give herself permission to rest in a recliner when in the back of her mind she’s thinking about the dishes in the kitchen that need to be washed.

“I never wake up feeling refreshed. I’m always dragging and have a weighted-down feeling,” said Northrop. “Even climbing a flight of stairs is exhausting, but some days, you’ve just to push through.”

When Northrop was a child, she had kidney damage as a result from a urinary tract infection, but lived many years without major symptoms. Several years ago, she suffered nerve damage after being bitten by a student. She went into renal failure after taking naproxen for a year and a half.

Northrop is unable to work, but has been active in Maine Meal Assistance, a volunteer-run program that provides meals for those in need. She is a team leader of a local group that provides weekly meals to 30 people.

As she struggles with her health, she has had to step back on some of her roles, but she’s able to a lot of behind the scenes work like planning, document creation and posting on social media. It’s been a blessing, she said, to have a project to focus on and still be able to help others despite her medical condition. 

Northrop is registered with the Maine Transplant Program and is seeking a new kidney. She has type O blood, and can only receive a kidney from a donor who also has type O blood. Still, Northrop’s hopeful that her match it out there somewhere. A new kidney would dramatically improve her life.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to not be nauseous and not be tired all the time,” said Northrop. 

 

She has created a Facebook page,  https://www.facebook.com/mumzieneedsakidney, as well as an Instagram page to get the word out about her need for a kidney and has painted a sign on her car. An online fundraising page has also been established at http://gofundme.com/p6d82hwk.