PARIS, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) – A diagnosis with no definitive cause attached to it leaves one local family man fighting for his life.
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It’s been nearly a year since Isaac Staub first started feeling extreme fatigue and began noticing dark bruising on his body – symptoms the then-24-year-old brushed off.
“I thought, ‘I’m just tired because it’s hot, I’ve got bruises because I work in the factory, I’m not paying attention, so finally my wife harped on me enough and said ‘hey, you need to go to the doctor’,” said Isaac.
That trip to the doctor would alter the course of Isaac’s life, as blood panels showed his kidneys functioning at just four percent.
“Within the evening, I was at the local hospital here, Paris Community, and they ended up telling me basically my kidneys had shut down and sent me over to Union, said Isaac.
Isaac was placed on dialysis within hours and, within months, he was declated to be in end stage kidney failure and received a peritoneal catheter.
“Basically what it does is you put fluid in it and it’s up against this membrane, that membrane acts like a sponge and it’ll suck the bad toxins out of your body and put it in the fluid and then the fluid is then dispelled,” said Isaac.
Isaac is now on hold for a kidney transplant, technically cleared for the transplant list, but held back by thyroid issues.
Through all of the uncertainty and shock, the young husband and father has remained strong and positive – a mindset he considers a necessity.
“It’s not just for me, it’s for her, it’s for our son, because if you don’t look at it positively you’re going to get swallowed up by it,” said Isaac.
Isaac’s wife Lacey says the circumstances have brought the close-knit family even closer.
“You’ve just got to be a lot more open with each other,” said Lacey.
“You’ve gotta be a team, it’s about being a team,” said Isaac.
“If you go against the grain, it wears you down even more,” said Lacey.
The Staubs say that teach goes beyond their family to the community they waited nine months to open up to about Isaac’s diagnosis – a community that immediately stepped in with fundraising efforts.
“It’s heartwarming to see a community come together like this to help somebody out,” said Isaac.
Now that the public is aware of his condition, Isaac says he wants to spread the message to other young people to keep on top of their health.
And his message to those debating becoming donors?
“Check that box, because you never know when it’s gonna happen, and giving back to someone else, it means the world to whoever receives your donation,” said Isaac.
“Checking that box, one life can save eight lives,” said Lacey.
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Saturday, May 18, Betty Jane’s Kitchen in Paris is having a
Donut Day Fundraising Event
for Isaac from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Isaac will undergo corrective surgery at the end of May, which should fix the thyroid issues keeping him from being fully cleared for that much needed transplant.
Isaac and Lacey encourage those looking to donate their kidney to people in need to visit websites like
Share Your Spare
to learn more.
