SANFORD, Maine — According to New England Donor Services, about 5,000 people in the region are waiting for an organ transplant. That includes 23-year-old Alec Bokesz, a young father who's already faced some enormous challenges in his life.
The latest one — getting a life-saving kidney transplant that could give him that second chance at a normal life.
Alec has an inherited condition that is causing his kidneys to fail. Now he needs a living kidney donor to survive.
"I pray every night that someone will come along and see my potential and give me a chance," Alec said.
Alec, who has a nine-year-old son named Aidan, posted this plea for the gift of life on social media after being accepted into Massachusetts General Hospital's Living Donor Program. But, waiting for a deceased donor could take up to three years, so finding a kidney from someone willing to give one could make the difference between life and death.
"If I find a living donor, it could be six months to a year," Alec explained.
Alec isn't your average person waiting for a transplant. He has dealt with substance use disorder since middle school.
It's a journey that has included numerous stints in rehab.
"It's been a real struggle to stay clean and sober," Alec explained.
After suffering from high blood pressure and other symptoms, Alec was diagnosed with kidney disease at 20 years old, which now requires him to be on dialysis 11 hours a day. At that time, doctors said he needed to be sober for at least six months or longer to qualify as a transplant patient.
"My life has been so much better since I have been here," Alec said.
An effort to stay clean led him to Enso Recovery LLC, which operates recovery homes and treatment facilities for men and women in Augusta and Sanford, plus treatment and re-entry programs for jail inmates. Alec has now been sober for a year and attends weekly group and individual therapy sessions.
Executive Director Steve Danzig says the program has about 50 beds, and a number of patients come with serious health problems. Case managers do everything they can to make sure clients get the help they need.
"We can be available for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Danzig explained. Alec says that support and caring from Enso staff helped him to get to where he is today.
"As much as I wanted to give up on myself, they didn't give up on me," Alec added.
This young father remains hopeful someone will come forward to donate a kidney so he can watch his son grow up and pursue his dream to be a master electrician. For more information on how to register to be a living donor at Massachusetts General Hospital's Transplant Center's Living Donor Program, go here.