Whitefish teacher and coach battling kidney disease

Whitefish Bulldogs basketball head coach and fifth grade teacher Sean Duff is on the mend, but will need a kidney transplant after a routine doctor’s visit revealed he has a life-threatening kidney disease.

Duff was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary disease he was unaware of, after being rushed to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center emergency room on Aug. 4 for severe kidney failure.

Blood tests showing extremely high potassium levels raised a red flag at the initial doctor visit, Kyla Duff, Sean’s wife, said.

“The doctor called that afternoon and said, ‘You need to get to the emergency room in Kalispell right now, your blood levels are not good,’” Kyla said Monday. “He was surprised he was even walking. He said people in your condition usually aren’t functioning. Your kidneys are failing, your potassium levels are so high you’re on the brink of death.”

Duff spent six days in the hospital, including four days in the intensive care unit after suffering a life-threatening seizure, and is now resting and recovering at home.

“He’s getting better every day. He’s a pretty strong guy,” Kyla said. “It kind of came out of nowhere and completely blindsided us. It’s been a whole new world since then.”

Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited disorder in which clusters of cysts develop primarily within the kidneys, causing the kidneys to enlarge and lose function over time, according to the Mayo Clinic website. The disease can cause serious complications including kidney failure.

While Duff is returning to mostly life as usual, the battle isn’t over as the damage done to his kidney’s is irreversible, his wife said, and he’ll need a kidney transplant from a living donor with type O blood.

“His kidneys are too far gone, they’re not salvageable, so our only option is dialysis until we can get a kidney transplant,” Kyla said.

Duff is facing between a six to 12-month wait for a transplant, a kidney specialist told the family. Family members and friends with the same blood type O have reached out hoping to help, but finding the right kidney match is an extremely tough process, Kyla said.

“Just because they’re blood type matches doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be good kidney matches. It’s going to be a long process,” she said.

In the meantime, Duff must undergo hemodialysis three times a week for three hours a session at a dialysis center. Hemodialysis “cleans” the blood with an external machine, since the kidneys are no longer functioning.

Duff was scheduled for surgery Wednesday to allow him to switch to peritoneal dialysis, which can be performed daily at home.

To cover medical costs, as well as travel and testing costs for Duff and potential kidney donors, the family has started a GoFundMe fundraiser online. They hope to raise $50,000 for the expenses — as of press time, more than $17,500 had already been raised in just four days.

The support Duff has received has been a blessing, his wife said.

“It’s been amazing. We live in a very amazing community, and there are so many wonderful people out there who Sean has touched and knows who are just helping us so much. Close friends and family have been bringing us dinners every night — I don’t think I’ve cooked since I’ve been out of the hospital,” she said. “The outpouring of love and support has just been amazing.”

Duff hopes to be in the classroom on the first day of school, Aug. 30, and coaching the Bulldogs when the season rolls around in the winter.

“Sean’s brought a positive attitude. He’s very appreciative of all the community support and the support to four friends and family,” Kyla said. “He hopes to start school next week, he’s really hoping to be there for that.”

For more information and to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/seanduff.