FURLONG, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — For 27 years, Don Polec kept the community laughing at quirky places and people. And for many of those years, Don was dealing with polycystic kidney disease, or PKD.
Last year, he got a transplant, thanks to someone’s gift of life.
The diagnosis came in Don’s early 40s.
“It didn’t really surprise me that I had this because my mother passed away from that when she was 40 years old,” he says. “I was just a kid. I was 11.”
Polycystic kidney disease or PKD causes cysts to consume the kidneys.
“It causes your kidney function to gradually go down,” he said.
Don went on with normal life for years, reporting on the humorous side of life. Years later, when his nephrologist said it was time for a transplant, Don was surprised….
Click here to read more about Don Polec’s second chance at life.