eric’s story

I’m Eric Clise. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I am devoted to my wife, children, and grandchildren. Over the years, my passions have ranged from playing music to flying helicopters, but there is one primary interest in my life these days: finding a kidney donor.

I need a donor because my kidney function is declining, and the usual suspects apply: a lifetime of high blood pressure, genetic predisposition, and structural damage from 20 years of producing and passing stones. While I am on the national cadaver kidney wait list, the average wait time is 3 to 5 years. This is less than ideal given my prognosis, and, because of my age, I will be offered poorer quality kidneys if/when the time comes. Better outcomes come from better kidneys, with the gold standard being a living donor.

Unfortunately, my family members who have offered were excluded during the donor qualification process.

A little bit about me: I grew up with a large, extended family — my aunts, uncles and many cousins spent every summer together on my Grandfather's farm. Out of everyone in that chaotic but lovable group, I was the least likely to grow up and start a large family of my own. I’ve always been an independent personality, and I fully expected to lead a solitary life.

The universe had other plans for me.

In my early 30s, I fell madly in love with a fabulous woman, Susan, who found herself tragically and unexpectedly alone, raising 3 young children. At age 34, to everyone's amazement including my own, I abandoned my life trajectory as a lone wolf and married her. We soon had two children together, and I adopted her three children. In the blink of an eye, I was the father of 5 fantastic kids: Ryan, Cameron, Kelly, James, and Jenny.

As a young man, I couldn’t have been more wrong about my future - wonderfully, spectacularly, gloriously wrong.

Susan and I recently celebrated our 37th marriage anniversary, and my children are grown and raising families of their own. I already have 7 grandchildren! And, there is good reason to believe more are coming.

I hope to be healthy enough to be a loving Papa figure in all of their lives. Being a husband, father, grandfather and friend is the best stuff in life. I know we all have a limited amount of time, and I hope to be brave and ready when my time comes, but I am not there yet. And I need help to get there.

It is a remarkable person who will consider donating a living organ. If you are willing to consider donating a living organ to someone else, I humbly ask you to consider me in your planning.