Furry friend provides healing after transplant

She was 7-years-old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Today, this southern Indiana woman is living with an organ transplant.

By IU Health Senior Journalist, TJ Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org

There was a time of grave concern for her life. Sherri Perkins was once hospitalized for nine days, in a coma.

“Doctors didn’t think they could save me,” said Perkins, who turned 60 on June 14. When she dropped seven pounds in a number of days, her parents knew something was wrong.

“There was a mix-up with my blood work and they first thought I had leukemia,” said Perkins, who was initially treated at a hospital closer to her home town. After additional testing, Perkins was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. At the age of 19, she began seeing doctors at IU Health. “Dr. Chandru Sundaram found what he thought was cancer on my right kidney. I thought it would be a ‘Bingo Chip - B-9 (“benign”) said Perkins. Tests showed the growths weren’t cancer, but she was still without a kidney.

“They said one kidney would sustain me but I was eventually put on a wait list for transplantation,” said Perkins, who is married to Dan Perkins. Next to her husband, there is one other “best friend” in Sherri Perkins’ life - a 9-year-old Australian Labradoodle, name “Cali,” who has been trained to detect spikes and dips in her blood sugar.

Cali has traveled around the country with her owner and rarely leaves her side.

When Perkins’ good kidney could no longer sustain her, family and friends began promoting her need for an organ transplant.

According to Donate Life America, about 90,000 people in the United States are awaiting kidney donation. Kidney donors can be both deceased or living donors. Living kidney donors help give renewed health to people experiencing kidney failure. A living kidney donor isn’t necessarily related to the recipient. Compatibility is based on blood type and tissue typing. Age and size are also taken into consideration.

Perkins’ family pulled out all the stops. In front of her parent’s home, on Charlestown Road in New Albany, was a large sign with the message: “I need a kidney. Can you share your spare?”

“It wasn’t that I wanted a kidney transplant; I needed a kidney transplant,” said Perkins. On June 14, Perkins received a kidney and pancreas transplant from a deceased donor. She was in the care of IU Health’s Dr. Jonathan Fridell, and Dr. Andrew Lutz.

“I may not have gotten a kidney from the billboard, but there were about 100,000 people who passed by it every day so it created a lot of awareness for the need,” said Perkins. “Several people wanted to donate but it didn’t work out,” she said. At IU Health , prospective living donors undergo a thorough evaluation and work with a team of specialists including a psychiatrist or psychologist, transplant coordinator, living donor advocate, social worker, dietitian, pharmacist, nephrologist, and surgeon.

As she continued with her recovery, her faithful friends - her husband and her service dog - remained by her side. Cali slept by her bed, leaving the room only for a walk outside.

“There’s a good reason we didn’t go to a hospital closer to us,” said Perkins. “The level of professionalism here is amazing. The nurses and the caliber of doctors, and the ability to interface directly with them has been fantastic.”