WEBVTT 00:00:05.230 --> 00:00:09.029 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:09.029 --> 00:00:15.150 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. Good 00:00:15.150 --> 00:00:18.609 day. I'm Jim Fossone. I'm the Officer of the 00:00:18.609 --> 00:00:20.710 Deck today here on Veterans Radio, and thanks 00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:23.460 for joining us. We've got some interesting stories 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.640 for you. We always want to remind you, you can 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.739 find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.420 site or at the web, veteransradio .org, where 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.259 we're on the web 24 -7. You can find a lot of 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:38.299 our podcasts there as well. We post new ones 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.479 every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.219 new interview, something you didn't know before 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.460 by going to veteransradio .org. 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Dale at veteransradio .org or Jim at veteransradio 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:38.739 .org to get more information, but we'd love to 00:01:38.739 --> 00:01:41.180 have you come out and we'd certainly love to 00:01:41.180 --> 00:01:43.870 have you sponsor. We just want to remind you 00:01:43.870 --> 00:01:48.750 that Veterans Radio podcasts are available on 00:01:48.750 --> 00:01:51.549 all your favorite streaming platforms including 00:01:51.549 --> 00:01:58.290 RSS .com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Podcasts, 00:01:58.430 --> 00:02:01.750 I Heart Radio, and Reeves Across America Radio. 00:02:02.290 --> 00:02:06.750 We want to welcome to Veterans Radio a Marine, 00:02:07.370 --> 00:02:11.780 Sean Libby who's got a Story to tell I don't 00:02:11.780 --> 00:02:14.219 know how to phrase the story. It's not interesting. 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:18.479 It's It's an important story to tell that maybe 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.780 our veteran radio listeners can help out on and 00:02:21.780 --> 00:02:26.379 if not his particulars situation maybe the larger 00:02:26.379 --> 00:02:30.800 issue of organ transplants Sean welcome to veterans 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:34.050 radio Thank you. Thank you. I really appreciate 00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:36.509 being here. And I really, really appreciate you 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:39.250 reaching out and scheduling this for me to talk 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:42.930 about this. Well, you know, your story is somewhat 00:02:42.930 --> 00:02:45.289 typical, right? Get out of high school, go into 00:02:45.289 --> 00:02:51.250 the Marines, end up in Afghanistan. You were 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:56.490 a mechanic, diesel mechanic. You did all the 00:02:56.490 --> 00:02:59.610 stuff that you have to do to support the front. 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:03.400 forward of war fighters and everybody who's been 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:06.759 in Afghanistan knows and certainly I hope mostly 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:10.319 veteran radio listeners know about burn pits 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.860 which were very common over there you know there 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:16.439 was nowhere these were huge bases without any 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:20.180 sort of land fill disposal and you just burn 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:22.939 stuff right yeah there's no waste management 00:03:22.939 --> 00:03:25.060 in Afghanistan so you just you just burn everything 00:03:25.060 --> 00:03:29.639 and you burn it by and that's plastics, cardboard, 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:35.639 wood, computers with metals in them, biologicals, 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:41.300 everything. We won't get to a graphic. But again, 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:43.419 anybody who's been there or anybody who's read 00:03:43.419 --> 00:03:46.280 anything recently, you know, kind of understands 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:50.979 what went on during those 20 years. And even 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:53.199 the stuff that you'd use to start the fires. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:56.120 wasn't necessarily good for you, right? Right. 00:03:56.580 --> 00:03:59.919 Gasoline on. Yeah. Yeah. JP for it. Yeah. Just 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:03.159 to burn it all. Yeah. The ultimate, the ultimate 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:06.900 barbecue fire pit started. Absolutely. Yeah. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:08.520 No, there's a, yeah. Something I didn't. Yeah. 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:10.599 Something we didn't know about. Um, and what 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:14.360 was crazy is that, uh, so I got out in, uh, so 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:15.800 I got back from Afghanistan, like, you know, 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:18.660 whatever mid 2012, and then I had like six to 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:23.420 eight months left. And so when I got out, They 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:28.160 noted I had toxic exposure when I got out. I 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:31.720 didn't know it until I filed a claim, May 2024, 00:04:32.259 --> 00:04:35.779 and it got immediately denied. But one of the 00:04:35.779 --> 00:04:39.259 things that said certain things in your favor 00:04:39.259 --> 00:04:42.100 was that we conceded you had toxic exposure. 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:45.399 That was the first time I ever knew about it. 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:49.500 It was 2023. And that word toxic, you went... 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:54.540 Well, what are they talking about here? When 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:59.259 did you get out of service? It was February 2013. 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:02.560 So you had noticed some time after that, I think 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.220 I read somewhere quite a number of months later, 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.680 you started to have some health issues. When 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.399 I got out, I didn't notice I had health issues 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:15.269 when I got out, but they put me on on some medications 00:05:15.269 --> 00:05:18.550 a torvastatin and lisinopril for like cholesterol 00:05:18.550 --> 00:05:21.069 i wasn't even sure why they put that on me but 00:05:21.069 --> 00:05:23.230 they put it they just gave it to me i took it 00:05:23.230 --> 00:05:28.750 and then um that was in 2014 i had moved to michigan 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:32.750 in 2014 to the up which you may you know that 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:35.300 Oh, yeah. Yeah. So I moved to I moved to the 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:38.680 U .P. in 2014. I actually was going to like Great 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:40.879 Lakes Boat Building School. So I did some traditional, 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:44.019 you know, got into a trade school and I got with 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:46.699 the VA there. They gave me those two medications 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:49.040 I mentioned. And then there's like they just 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:50.839 would be like, watch your fluids, your potassium, 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:53.579 your sodium. You're fine. You're good. And then 00:05:53.579 --> 00:05:58.660 2015, I had gotten a sleep study done and I was 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:02.080 diagnosed with moderate severe sleep apnea. in 00:06:02.080 --> 00:06:04.540 2015. And then after that, I really started focusing. 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:06.879 I was going to the gym. I was eating healthy, 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:09.220 you know, eating proteins. Just, you know, getting 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:13.959 really healthy. And then 2017 came around and 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:15.899 then they were like, you know, hey, let's do 00:06:15.899 --> 00:06:18.139 a biopsy on your kidney. And I was like, okay. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.459 So we did a biopsy. They're like, you have I. 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:23.279 g. nephropathy and FSGS. And I didn't know what 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:27.319 that meant at all. And it was this very, it was 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:30.660 this Indian nephrologist I say Indian because 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:32.279 he just had a very thick accent. So it was somewhat 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:35.139 hard to understand him. So he hands me this handwritten 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:37.939 script for like Predazone and for some other 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:40.199 meds. And he's like, go down to Walgreens, go 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:42.279 grab it. And I go down to Walgreens and like, 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:44.100 you're going to ask, are you going to pay for 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:45.560 this out of pocket? These are very expensive. 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.579 And I said, no, I can't afford this. So shortly 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:52.819 after that, that was late 2017. And then 2018, 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:57.779 I moved to Washington here and I get with the 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:02.399 VA here. And same thing. It's Lysinopril, Torvastatin. 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:04.519 They're like, hey, watch your sodiums. Watch 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:06.839 your potassiums. But you look great. You look 00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:09.879 healthy. You're fantastic. How were you feeling 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:13.939 at that point? I felt fine. But when I think 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:16.980 about it, something deep inside me felt off. 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:19.899 Something felt off. I didn't feel quite right. 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:22.699 And that's why I was going to the gym. I was 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:25.699 eating really healthy. I was tracking all my 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:30.569 proteins, carbs, and fats. But despite me fighting 00:07:30.569 --> 00:07:33.490 this feeling, it still felt off. Something felt 00:07:33.490 --> 00:07:40.910 off still. So yeah, that was 2018, 2019. And 00:07:40.910 --> 00:07:45.769 then, yeah, so it wasn't until 2023 that I went 00:07:45.769 --> 00:07:48.990 into full kidney failure. Late 2022, I started 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:51.750 having more symptoms, itchy legs. I was having 00:07:51.750 --> 00:07:54.350 unexplained tiredness, but I brushed it off. 00:07:54.370 --> 00:07:55.910 It wasn't a big deal. Other than that, I was 00:07:55.910 --> 00:07:58.250 like doing okay, working full time, busting my 00:07:58.250 --> 00:08:00.649 butt. You're you're a young you're a young guy 00:08:00.649 --> 00:08:04.069 you're healthy looking You're going like I don't 00:08:04.069 --> 00:08:06.089 you know, maybe I just like party too much or 00:08:06.089 --> 00:08:09.110 I gotta sleep more or something But yeah, I'll 00:08:09.110 --> 00:08:10.670 sleep maybe I'm not sleeping good. I you know, 00:08:10.750 --> 00:08:13.110 I got to sleep a CPAP machine So, you know, whatever 00:08:13.110 --> 00:08:15.069 it could be that but I was still I'm eating healthy 00:08:15.069 --> 00:08:17.209 I'm going to the gym. I'm working full -time 00:08:17.209 --> 00:08:21.720 working my butt off and then yeah February 2023 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.480 January February I started retaining so much 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.980 fluid right it was getting so hard to breathe 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:29.339 I was getting exhausted just doing simple stuff 00:08:29.339 --> 00:08:32.659 I finally went to the ER February 2023 and they're 00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:35.779 like Sean you have NSAID kidney disease you're 00:08:35.779 --> 00:08:38.100 gonna need dialysis you're gonna need a kidney 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:39.779 and those are the first time I've ever heard 00:08:39.779 --> 00:08:41.779 those words I've never heard dialysis or organ 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:44.980 transplant in my life until 2023 of February 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:49.169 and then um yeah And this is what I want to get 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:54.570 across to folks is that it's a process of, you 00:08:54.570 --> 00:08:57.669 outlined a number of years it took, and really 00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:02.629 it was the fluid buildup that kind of manifested, 00:09:02.789 --> 00:09:05.370 hey, my kidneys aren't working right. I'm not, 00:09:05.909 --> 00:09:08.610 I'll use the polite term, I'm not voiding this 00:09:08.610 --> 00:09:14.529 stuff out. I'm retaining all this fluid. But 00:09:14.529 --> 00:09:19.649 prior to that, Nobody at the VA said, hey, you 00:09:19.649 --> 00:09:22.649 might be starting some kidney problems. Nothing. 00:09:23.190 --> 00:09:28.230 Even when I got that biopsy done and this nephrologist 00:09:28.230 --> 00:09:31.429 has said you have IG nephropathy and FSGS, nobody 00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:34.269 had ever mentioned dialysis or organ failure. 00:09:34.669 --> 00:09:37.409 Not those two words. Or where that condition 00:09:37.409 --> 00:09:40.070 could lead to. Absolutely. Nobody mentioned this. 00:09:40.230 --> 00:09:42.950 Nothing. Not a single. And that's how it's always 00:09:42.950 --> 00:09:46.330 been with the VA. It's like that last 10%. of 00:09:46.330 --> 00:09:49.850 where it's like that last 10 % of care just is 00:09:49.850 --> 00:09:52.169 not there. And that's where, that's where I've 00:09:52.169 --> 00:09:57.429 had the hardest time. So, so after 2023 into 00:09:57.429 --> 00:10:00.250 2024, you begin thinking about like, how did 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:03.809 this happen to me? Yeah. Yeah. Yep. And, and, 00:10:03.809 --> 00:10:07.490 and kind of in your research or was there a doctor 00:10:07.490 --> 00:10:10.230 or a nurse who said, Hey, you know, that toxic 00:10:10.230 --> 00:10:12.529 exposure you had from the burn pits, that could 00:10:12.529 --> 00:10:16.230 have been a source. No. No, I started dialysis 00:10:16.230 --> 00:10:20.009 20 so may sorry. Yeah, February. I went into 00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:23.720 failure and the VA still was like, hey, let's 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:26.200 put you on some diuretics. Let's put you on tarosamide 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:29.220 and frosamide and let's see if this goes away. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:31.679 And then so I went in February, March, April, 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:34.059 and it was just getting worse. It wasn't until 00:10:34.059 --> 00:10:37.279 a civilian doctor in May said, Sean, if you don't 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:39.620 get emergency surgery, if you don't get emergency 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:42.039 dialysis this weekend, you're not going to make 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.720 it. So I had to do that. I had to go out of my 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:49.230 way, go to the ER, opt for dialysis and then 00:10:49.230 --> 00:10:51.610 yeah the first time I experienced it you know 00:10:51.610 --> 00:10:54.110 I had a little like a it was like a mini seizure 00:10:54.110 --> 00:10:57.649 vasovagal little moment but finally I was getting 00:10:57.649 --> 00:11:02.549 some fluid off of me and then I started dialysis 00:11:02.549 --> 00:11:05.779 it wasn't until You know, it wasn't until I thought 00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:10.700 of it until a year later, May 2024, when I was 00:11:10.700 --> 00:11:13.419 like, damn, is this is this really my fault? 00:11:13.899 --> 00:11:15.700 Like, is this is this not something to do with 00:11:15.700 --> 00:11:18.039 the military? Because I'm at the time I'm 34. 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:21.570 Why do I? Like, why am I dealing with kidney 00:11:21.570 --> 00:11:25.450 failure at 34? And then there was a luckily sweetheart, 00:11:25.629 --> 00:11:28.309 the local VSO, the veteran service officer. I 00:11:28.309 --> 00:11:29.830 reached out to her. She's like, file a claim. 00:11:29.850 --> 00:11:34.049 And I'm like, oh, duh. I got 30 % when I got 00:11:34.049 --> 00:11:37.850 out. And then I got 60 % through the sleep study. 00:11:38.210 --> 00:11:41.230 And then that was it. I didn't even know. that 00:11:41.230 --> 00:11:43.929 people are filing all the time, you know, for 00:11:43.929 --> 00:11:47.070 everything, flat foot or whatever. So I just, 00:11:47.230 --> 00:11:48.549 I was, you know, whatever they gave me, anything 00:11:48.549 --> 00:11:51.549 I was happy for it. I wasn't trying to. So, but 00:11:51.549 --> 00:11:54.690 yeah, so a year later, May 2024, I filed my first 00:11:54.690 --> 00:11:57.210 claim for chronic kidney disease. And then that's 00:11:57.210 --> 00:11:59.590 when I get denied. And that's when I find out 00:11:59.590 --> 00:12:03.289 I had toxic exposure. Nobody told me this, not 00:12:03.289 --> 00:12:06.509 for the first full year I was on dialysis. And 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:09.230 the first year was just was a whole thing too. 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:13.080 I went through the different, I started dialysis, 00:12:13.220 --> 00:12:16.100 the hemo dialysis in center, and then within 00:12:16.100 --> 00:12:18.340 a month, they were like, Sean, let's get you 00:12:18.340 --> 00:12:21.360 out the in -home peritoneal dialysis. So I go 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.879 under the knife for that surgery. And then I 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:27.200 learn about a new process for dialysis. I learn 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:29.340 how to use the equipment at home. They throw 00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:33.279 about 60 boxes in your house. And then your home 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:35.299 turns into a medical facility. And I'm like, 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:38.220 I'm just now learning this whole dialysis in 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:40.779 this life. And then I learn a new process. And 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:44.100 that, I started having problems. It moved. Within 00:12:44.100 --> 00:12:46.740 four weeks, it moved. So I had to get a revisional 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:51.580 surgery again. And then it was still problematic. 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:57.250 So let me back you up. Yeah. Is VA providing 00:12:57.250 --> 00:13:03.409 medical care on the kidney failure? No, I do 00:13:03.409 --> 00:13:06.610 an in -center out of, it's like not through the 00:13:06.610 --> 00:13:10.009 VA. There's a local one next to me. But it's 00:13:10.009 --> 00:13:12.470 not community care. They're not paying for it. 00:13:12.889 --> 00:13:14.830 They are paying for it. They must be paying for 00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:17.129 it. Yeah, yes. Okay, through community care. 00:13:17.490 --> 00:13:19.649 Okay, good. It's called a, yeah, it's called 00:13:19.649 --> 00:13:23.019 Davida is the name of the company. David is a 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:28.320 national dialysis company. I've seen them all 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:33.039 around the country. One of the things here is 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:36.820 I want to highlight for folks is that while the 00:13:36.820 --> 00:13:42.679 PACT Act of 2022 made all kinds of diseases related 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:48.179 to burn pits from Vietnam to Afghanistan, presumptive 00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:52.379 conditions chronic kidney failure is not. No, 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:54.639 it's not. It's not one of them. So it took me 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:57.360 a year to fight. I was fighting for a year with 00:13:57.360 --> 00:13:59.740 that. So you had to go out and get a private 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:02.759 medical, what they call a nexus letter. And for 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:05.700 folks who don't, you know, aren't intimately 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:09.139 involved in this area like you are, or I am as 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:12.659 a disability lawyer, you get a medical doctor 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:15.139 who says it's more likely than not, this is from 00:14:15.139 --> 00:14:18.519 this exposure and service. Yes. Yes. So how did 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:22.379 Again, VA doesn't recognize it as presumptive. 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:26.919 How did your doctor convince them, hey, this 00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:30.820 is tied back to his service? So I had my first 00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:33.820 nephrologist, he retired shortly, but he wrote 00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:38.440 me a letter and he had even mentioned about I 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:41.080 had some numbers showing that I had elevated 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:43.159 numbers when I was getting out. And so he had 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:46.259 noted it as least likely as it is not. Um, and 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:48.159 his letter was, uh, was actually pretty helpful. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:51.899 And then when he retired, there was a new nephrologist 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:53.960 I was signed. And she also wrote me a letter 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:56.940 to, um, advocating saying, you know, that, Hey, 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:00.039 this, this is not, you know, this has, you know, 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:03.320 ties back to the burn pit exposure. And, um, 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:05.799 yeah, yeah. I mean, really those two letters 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:08.440 were huge for me. And one of the things that 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:12.460 a lot of veterans with non -presumptive problems 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:34.610 do is they kind of give up. They say, well, I 00:15:34.610 --> 00:15:41.220 did. So shortly after getting denied, I got denied 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:45.600 twice. And then the VSO, she had reached out 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.600 to, referred me to the National Veteran Legal 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:51.120 Services Program, and they were wonderful. I 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:54.080 had a lawyer. you know, Mr. Ryan Kelly, he had 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:57.539 all of the information. He had all of the showing 00:15:57.539 --> 00:15:59.940 the burn pits and everything tied back to the, 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:02.899 cause I went to, um, in Afghanistan, I was in 00:16:02.899 --> 00:16:05.879 Camp Leatherneck, uh, fob Nolay and fob Delaram 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:08.659 and all three of those places had burn pits and 00:16:08.659 --> 00:16:11.039 he had all the information on those three places. 00:16:11.299 --> 00:16:13.860 And so he was really, really advocating and fighting 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:16.600 for me and it took a lot. I think I was, I think 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:19.679 five denials and we were caught in this loop 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:23.259 because the VA, whenever they um when they get 00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:25.340 uh whatever just the process they go because 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:26.980 you know they won't make the decision on themselves 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:29.200 but they will always hire a medical examiner 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:32.539 to do it always an outside medical examiner so 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:34.740 i would they would assign a medical examiner 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:37.620 that medical examiner i swear they are trained 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:41.220 to say no because I I filed complaints with each 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:43.580 of the companies that those medical examiners 00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:45.860 were working for because like they'd call me 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:47.840 on the phone I'm like coming out dialysis and 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:50.000 for example the first one she's like so what 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:51.779 symptoms are you having to tell you you have 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.120 kidney failure and I'm coming out dialysis so 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:57.120 I was like are you kidding me right now and so 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:59.879 she I knew my little attitude to her I know is 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:01.659 gonna get denied but yeah she was like no not 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:04.519 related and then get denied you know but then 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.680 you can submit um what is the word for it a revision 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.019 or supplemental claim for more information. Thank 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:13.480 you. Yeah, so I submitted that and then they 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.900 go back to another medical examiner and then 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:19.589 I see that person in person. Uh, and then she, 00:17:20.089 --> 00:17:22.589 despite all, she denies me and then we go back 00:17:22.589 --> 00:17:24.549 again and then I get another person and then 00:17:24.549 --> 00:17:26.609 we get denied again. So we're in this circle 00:17:26.609 --> 00:17:29.990 and then I finally get approved by, um, because 00:17:29.990 --> 00:17:31.369 you know, once you get denied, you can have a 00:17:31.369 --> 00:17:33.009 request, an informal hearing with a decision 00:17:33.009 --> 00:17:35.529 maker. Right. And that's a rule. I didn't know 00:17:35.529 --> 00:17:37.549 about that. I mean, Mr. Ryan Kelly, the lawyer 00:17:37.549 --> 00:17:39.849 for NVLSP, he knew, but I mean, how could any 00:17:39.849 --> 00:17:42.890 veteran on their own ever know that you can request 00:17:42.890 --> 00:17:44.789 an informally here with the decision maker? No. 00:17:45.230 --> 00:17:47.509 So we get in this and we're like, hey, we're 00:17:47.509 --> 00:17:49.390 just we're getting caught in this loop here like 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:52.289 every single time. So after a year, I finally 00:17:52.289 --> 00:17:54.890 got approved for it. And that has been, you know, 00:17:54.990 --> 00:17:57.650 a godsend being able to at least I was like I 00:17:57.650 --> 00:17:59.710 was coming into financial like losing my home. 00:17:59.769 --> 00:18:02.109 I was going to lose my car. I was falling months 00:18:02.109 --> 00:18:05.049 behind on all my payments. And despite all so 00:18:05.049 --> 00:18:08.039 luckily that worked out. I'm very thankful for 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:12.259 that. You are now getting your disability payments, 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:16.599 but you're getting your dialysis in the community. 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:21.400 Yes. But you're on a transplant list, right? 00:18:23.059 --> 00:18:26.559 This is the part, again, most folks never have 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:28.480 experienced this, so I want to educate our veteran 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:33.599 radio listeners a little bit here, Sean. Kidney 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:37.119 disease, chronic kidney disease, Doesn't reverse 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:39.640 itself. There isn't a medication that fixes this 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:42.759 or a surgery, you know clip a little this take 00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:47.180 so so You're on a transplant list you you needed 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:51.599 a kidney from somebody Mm -hmm. I do. Yes, and 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.920 and when you get with like I'm active on the 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:59.660 VA Portland transplant list and I am I'm inactive 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:03.579 but I'm accepted on the Swedish transplant out 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:06.579 of Seattle because when you are a veteran you 00:19:06.579 --> 00:19:09.960 get to have you can have one VA transplant and 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:12.599 one non -VA so you get to be dual listed which 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:15.680 is great. I'm currently I'm working with Swedish 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:18.480 because I'm in I'm inactive until I get a few 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:22.039 things settled with them that would satisfy theirs 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:23.740 because they're they are a little bit more in 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:27.259 depth about their process than the VA is but 00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:31.200 both of those are a you know deceased donor And 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.039 that's, I mean, to get off dialysis and have 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.980 more normal life is absolutely, that's my life 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:39.059 goal now is to have that. But a deceased donor 00:19:39.059 --> 00:19:41.819 has an average of eight to 12 years versus a 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:44.519 live donor, which can be 20 plus. So it's just 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:47.240 the difference in life is just so much longer 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:50.779 whenever you get a live donor versus a deceased 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:54.759 one. I want to give a little background of research 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:57.160 that I did getting ready for this, because we've 00:19:57.160 --> 00:20:01.029 never talked to anybody in this situation on 00:20:01.029 --> 00:20:05.869 Veterans Radio in 22 years of doing it. VA performs 00:20:05.869 --> 00:20:11.190 over 150 kidney transplants annually at its VA 00:20:11.190 --> 00:20:13.549 transplant centers. I didn't even know they had 00:20:13.549 --> 00:20:16.529 VA transplant centers. They have a number of 00:20:16.529 --> 00:20:20.710 them, I guess five of them or something. About 00:20:20.710 --> 00:20:24.829 16 % of veterans who need kidney transplants 00:20:24.829 --> 00:20:27.880 actually go through the vidni. VA transplant 00:20:27.880 --> 00:20:32.420 center, but 84 % received a kidney at a non -VA 00:20:32.420 --> 00:20:34.299 transplant center. That's what you're talking 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:38.660 about where you're with in Seattle with us. So 00:20:38.660 --> 00:20:43.380 these are the sorts of things that like people 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:49.420 don't think about. Wow. I mean this is and I 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:51.400 found on the internet there's like a hundred 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:54.900 thousand people on kidney transplant lists. So 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:58.359 when Sean says, man, I'm waiting. I'm waiting. 00:20:58.500 --> 00:21:00.660 I'm on too long a list, but I'm waiting. That's 00:21:00.660 --> 00:21:06.160 a lot of people. If people are like waking up 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:08.240 to this because they're listening into you and 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:10.559 saying, man, this guy got a raw deal. How do 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:13.279 you help out? And maybe not even just help out 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:18.400 Sean, that'd be great. But how do people help 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:21.420 others who may need a kidney on a transplant 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:25.460 list? think advocating for yourself I think advocating 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:27.319 for yourself like instead of because you know 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:29.640 in the military it's always like you know you 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:32.000 go and you change your socks you take some Motrin 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.940 you keep going like that's that's that's what 00:21:33.940 --> 00:21:36.779 I did but like you really need to advocate for 00:21:36.779 --> 00:21:39.940 yourself like not just a What are we at? Just 00:21:39.940 --> 00:21:42.279 a few months ago, I had another Marine buddy 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:45.140 that I was with. We were in Afghanistan a little 00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:48.319 time. He's like, hey, I'm having issues. I'm 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:50.079 getting tired. My legs are itching. I'm having 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.640 problems. And I'm like, bro, you need to bring 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:54.460 this up now. You need to take this seriously. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:58.259 So it's really, if something doesn't feel right, 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:00.400 you have to say something. You really need to 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:02.819 advocate for yourself. Because I don't know what 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:05.960 the system like. It feels like the system is 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:10.759 just overloaded. And so it's so hard that if 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:12.460 you don't advocate for yourself, they're going 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:15.019 to think you're fine. You really need to. One 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:18.579 of the things I'd add to that is at least the 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.259 VA doctors know what burn pits are and what tax 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:24.619 exposure is. But if you're out in the community 00:22:24.619 --> 00:22:27.700 and you've got a private doctor, they have no 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:30.940 idea what you experienced in the military. That's 00:22:30.940 --> 00:22:32.880 true. They don't know what a burn pit is. They 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:36.349 don't know the tax exposure issue. you're right 00:22:36.349 --> 00:22:39.069 you have to advocate for yourself if something 00:22:39.069 --> 00:22:42.289 just I think you said at the outset something 00:22:42.289 --> 00:22:45.289 just didn't feel right in the core something 00:22:45.289 --> 00:22:47.869 yeah something didn't feel right that's why I 00:22:47.869 --> 00:22:49.670 was like I was always striving to be healthy 00:22:49.670 --> 00:22:52.329 and eat healthy and eat right because like something 00:22:52.329 --> 00:22:54.950 didn't feel right inside me and it's like at 00:22:54.950 --> 00:22:58.750 the end like even if I mean again at least if 00:22:58.750 --> 00:23:02.089 they had just been transparent and be like, Sean, 00:23:02.150 --> 00:23:03.670 just so you know, like we don't really even if 00:23:03.670 --> 00:23:05.529 they had even been like, we don't even care. 00:23:05.690 --> 00:23:08.269 Just so you know, you had toxic exposure and 00:23:08.269 --> 00:23:09.890 it could lead to this. Like even if they had 00:23:09.890 --> 00:23:12.789 said something and even if it ended up with me 00:23:12.789 --> 00:23:15.990 on dialysis, I at least could have maybe helped 00:23:15.990 --> 00:23:19.210 myself out, you know, by five or 10 years or 00:23:19.210 --> 00:23:21.710 something, because I could have been less on 00:23:21.710 --> 00:23:24.190 protein or less on fluids, you know, a little 00:23:24.190 --> 00:23:27.519 bit more strict than I was. But I. didn't know 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:32.240 anything was really wrong. When I got out, there 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:34.720 was a floodgate that was starting to just slowly 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:40.799 open up and led me to here now. Is there a way 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:46.579 for folks to find out if they have a kidney that 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:50.190 works for you? Or is this more of you're trying 00:23:50.190 --> 00:23:52.970 to get the word out that, hey, sign the donor 00:23:52.970 --> 00:23:56.309 form on the back of your driver's license so 00:23:56.309 --> 00:23:59.609 that if you pass away and your kidney is still 00:23:59.609 --> 00:24:02.650 good, somebody else gets it? I do have some. 00:24:02.789 --> 00:24:07.089 I have been working with this sweet, sweet lady, 00:24:07.349 --> 00:24:09.349 Miss Mickey Jackson. I think she reached out 00:24:09.349 --> 00:24:12.490 to you guys. She did. She wrote me an article 00:24:12.490 --> 00:24:16.839 asking for a live donor. And so there is a person 00:24:16.839 --> 00:24:21.220 on here trying to help me out because my blood 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:24.319 type is O, which means I'm the most common one, 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:27.599 which means a type O usually is like the longest, 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:31.240 like seven to eight years on dialysis before 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:35.079 you get a kidney. And so it's harder as a type 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:36.960 O because everybody can receive one, but only 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:40.849 O can receive O. Um, so, I mean, there was, there's 00:24:40.849 --> 00:24:42.710 a person that she had wrote with a phone number 00:24:42.710 --> 00:24:45.109 on here. Um, she's a dialysis social worker, 00:24:45.269 --> 00:24:47.930 local to here. I can give you her name and number 00:24:47.930 --> 00:24:50.170 if anybody wants to reach out and see if they 00:24:50.170 --> 00:24:52.630 are. I think that's a good thing. Let's do that. 00:24:52.690 --> 00:24:56.470 It's, it's Angie, right? Yes. That's it. So Angie 00:24:56.470 --> 00:25:00.230 is the dialysis social worker. Her number in 00:25:00.230 --> 00:25:05.839 Seattle is three six zero seven three four. 4243. 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:11.339 I don't have an email for her, but again, I think 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:16.819 you can probably check that out, people, if you're 00:25:16.819 --> 00:25:19.160 like, hey man, this motivates me. I want to make 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:22.250 sure that. I got good organs and they don't go 00:25:22.250 --> 00:25:24.829 to waste. Absolutely. That would be, I mean, 00:25:24.829 --> 00:25:27.730 yeah, it's, uh, I mean, through, through my faith 00:25:27.730 --> 00:25:30.049 in God, you know, I believe that I'm here from 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:33.049 fighting for a purpose and a reason. Um, you 00:25:33.049 --> 00:25:35.009 know, and I, I've been fighting my whole life, 00:25:35.009 --> 00:25:38.210 um, through just my adverse, you know, just problems, 00:25:38.690 --> 00:25:41.990 overcoming obstacles. And so, yeah, I just, if 00:25:41.990 --> 00:25:43.910 anybody can, that'd be the, that'd be the most 00:25:43.910 --> 00:25:46.890 amazing thing possible. I would definitely be 00:25:46.890 --> 00:25:48.970 grateful every day of my life for something like 00:25:48.970 --> 00:25:51.630 that. Well, you know, it's hard to transition 00:25:51.630 --> 00:25:53.630 out of the military. I'm sure you had the same 00:25:53.630 --> 00:25:55.930 experience as everybody else does when you transition 00:25:55.930 --> 00:26:00.329 out and you were in the process of learning a 00:26:00.329 --> 00:26:03.130 new trade, something to get motivated on and 00:26:03.130 --> 00:26:05.369 have a passion on, which is what you have to 00:26:05.369 --> 00:26:07.150 have when you get out of the military. You got 00:26:07.150 --> 00:26:10.390 to find a new passion. Absolutely. And then to 00:26:10.390 --> 00:26:15.849 have this huge roadblock is really challenging, 00:26:15.849 --> 00:26:17.970 to say the least. So let me give Angie's phone 00:26:17.970 --> 00:26:21.890 number again. She's a dialysis social worker, 00:26:22.630 --> 00:26:30.789 360 -734 -4243. And tell her, hey, I listened 00:26:30.789 --> 00:26:38.849 to Sean and man, you know, Sean Libby made me 00:26:38.849 --> 00:26:41.930 call you and I want to figure out how I can help. 00:26:42.990 --> 00:26:45.730 Absolutely. That'd be wonderful. Sean, as we 00:26:45.730 --> 00:26:49.859 come to the close of this segment, um what do 00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:51.539 you want to say to your other veterans and what 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:54.779 do you want to say to the public in general uh 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:56.880 i think you're really advocating for yourself 00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.480 like it's it's hard because of not it's not the 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:02.500 people that work in the vh but the system itself 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:06.920 it's just everybody stretched so thin um you 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:10.000 know It's just it can be hard and just advocating 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:12.000 for yourself. And if you if there's something 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:15.059 that you think is wrong, like bring it up to 00:27:15.059 --> 00:27:17.799 not hold it in. And that was the thing I always 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:20.160 said I always like I put my work in front of 00:27:20.160 --> 00:27:23.140 my health for those last few years that really 00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:26.299 could have helped me a little bit more. I put 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:28.680 it all into work and I put all my health problems, 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:31.819 all of my concerns to the side. And and it's 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:33.819 hard because I mean, I'm a single guy like I 00:27:33.819 --> 00:27:36.220 don't have children. But like I said, I just 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:38.940 you know, I have full time job. whatever, come 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:41.819 out of these. But I don't have a wife and kids. 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.359 And if I did, it'd be even harder to step aside 00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:46.720 from work and go to your appointments and go 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:49.680 do the blood work. But that's the biggest thing. 00:27:49.680 --> 00:27:52.240 Advocating for yourself is the biggest thing 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:55.480 I can say. Well, we appreciate you coming on 00:27:55.480 --> 00:27:58.619 Veterans Radio to talk about your situation and 00:27:58.619 --> 00:28:02.119 give some advice to your fellow veterans. And 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:04.480 hopefully somebody out there gets motivated. 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:08.619 and reaches out either locally in their own area 00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:12.299 or reach out to Angie, see where that might lead, 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:15.480 God may lead it in a direction that neither of 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:20.440 us can imagine at the moment. But stay strong 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:22.920 and we really appreciate you coming on Veterans 00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:25.130 Radio. Thank you, Jim. I really appreciate it 00:28:25.130 --> 00:28:27.170 for what you do too. I really, really couldn't 00:28:27.170 --> 00:28:29.569 be, you know, I appreciate everything that you're 00:28:29.569 --> 00:28:31.470 doing and how you're advocating for us veterans 00:28:31.470 --> 00:28:33.329 out here. And you've been doing it for how long 00:28:33.329 --> 00:28:36.509 you've been doing this? 22 years. 22 years. That's 00:28:36.509 --> 00:28:38.930 a lifetime. You know, that is, that's a lifetime. 00:28:39.089 --> 00:28:41.390 So thank you. I can't imagine how many thousands 00:28:41.390 --> 00:28:43.529 or tens or hundreds of thousands of veterans 00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:45.730 have heard you and, and have, you know, benefited 00:28:45.730 --> 00:28:48.160 from you. So thank you. And I want to thank everybody 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:50.960 for listening to Veterans Radio today. I am Jim 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:53.839 Fossone. It's been a pleasure to be your host. 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:56.660 I'm a Veterans Disability Lawyer at Legal Help 00:28:56.660 --> 00:29:00.619 for Veterans and you can reach us at 800 -693 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:05.440 -4800 or legalhelpforveterans .com on the web. 00:29:06.140 --> 00:29:09.039 You can follow Veterans Radio on Facebook and 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:11.880 listen to its podcasts and Internet radio shows 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:16.160 by visiting us at veteransradio .org. That's 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:19.420 veteransradio .org. We would again want to thank 00:29:19.420 --> 00:29:22.460 our national sponsors, the National Veterans 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:27.980 Business Development Council, nvbdc .org. Legal 00:29:27.980 --> 00:29:31.380 Help for Veterans, a veterans disability law 00:29:31.380 --> 00:29:36.460 firm with a national practice before the VA can 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:40.099 help you on your claims and your appeals. 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