SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 As the New Year approaches, many people are hoping for a fresh start. For one local Marine Corps veteran, that new beginning could come in the form of a kidney transplant. After years of service, serious health battles, and countless hours on dialysis, he\u2019s now asking the community for help in his fight to reclaim his life. <\/p>\n
Dana Nelson wears a dog tag that reads \u201cBe a Hero\u201d, and now, he\u2019s hoping someone will answer that call.<\/p>\n
Nelson proudly served his country for eight years in the United States Marine Corps.<\/p>\n
But years after his service ended, another battle began. Exposure to burn pits overseas led to severe health problems, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.<\/p>\n
A life-saving lung transplant gave Dana a second chance. But three years later, organ rejection and aggressive treatments took another toll, this time on his kidneys. Now, he spends three days a week, four hours at a time, on dialysis.<\/p>\n
“It’s draining physically and mentally, because you’re sitting there for four hours hooked up to the machine and it\u2019s cycling your blood through to clean it because your kidneys can\u2019t,” said Dana.<\/p>\n
Dialysis dictates many parts of his life, including time with family and the ability to travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hear the phone ring and you\u2019re like \u2018is this it? Is this the call?\u2019 In that respect, we both have a bag packed just in case we get the call. But I think being on dialysis is a tough part because you\u2019re pretty much connected to home,” said his wife, Donna.<\/p>\n
Dana and his wife live in Scranton, while much of their family is spread across the country, family he hasn\u2019t seen in years.<\/p>\n
A living kidney donor could change that.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it would be excellent. It would be the ultimate \u2013 second ultimate gift, the first one for the lungs,” said Dana.<\/p>\n