Colorado resident Steven Geer has been doing what he has to since his kidneys stopped functioning, but access to care has been difficult to reach in the high country.
“I suffered from an autoimmune disorder several years ago, four years ago, that attacked my kidneys and actually my respiratory tract as well,” Geer said. “I survived that part, but my kidneys failed.”
Geer lives in Steamboat Springs and only has access to life-sustaining dialysis by driving three times a week to Avon because there are no closer options. The 85-mile drive along 131 to Interstate 70 takes an average of an hour-and-a-half.
The reality of limited specialized kidney medical resources in the high country became more obvious when Steven faced a medical emergency with a failed interventional port. The closest option for the necessary procedure wasn’t even Avon, it was Aurora.
“We drove down to Anschutz (Medical Center) in Aurora, UCHealth,” Steven recounted. “And so we just drove down the night before, spent the night, had the surgery, and then drove straight to Avon and spent the night again to do dialysis on Friday because, at that point, I’d missed several days of dialysis.”
Throughout this ordeal, Steven has had the unwavering support of his partner, Tyler. However, Tyler admitted to the constant worry of Steven having to undertake these arduous drives while battling a serious health condition.
“I’m incredibly worried he’s not going to be able to make that drive to Avon to get dialysis and then get back home,” Tyler said.
The pair understands the challenges that living in Steamboat Springs have created for treatment, but it’s their home.
“We spent our lives building our lives up here in the mountains, finding work, and the cost of living is a little bit high in some of these towns, but we’ve really found it,” Geer said. “We found our niche and I feel like people with cancer or organ failure or any myriad of diseases face a lot of problems up in the mountains because even though we have great clinics and Steamboat Springs got a great hospital, any time that I’ve had to go to the emergency room for any problem with my, that’s kidney related, I’ve had to be flown out.”
That includes an extra cost as well.
“Your only choices (are) to just buck up and do what you got to do to survive or move somewhere where there’s better health care,” Steven said. “But this is my home.”
He holds onto the hope that a caring Coloradan will see his story, or one like his, and opt to help by testing if they would be a match for a kidney donation.
“I don’t think people realize that folks can live with one kidney perfectly fine,” Geer said. “Your remaining kidney actually grows and takes over the function of both.
He added that the patient receiving the kidney’s insurance pays for the whole thing, and there are groups that help supplement wages for time missed at work during the operation.
His fight is especially disheartening, considering he’s already received a kidney once before from a deceased donor. While it’s rare, that kidney never activated within his body to work as a full match. So he’s back on the list again.
Those interested in learning more about organ donation or how to potentially help Steven directly can learn more at UCH Transplants.
