Thomas Richards Charity Fundraiser, in support of Chris Bagley, was proud to Paint It Forward with Pinot’s Palette. Pinot’s Palette Rochester Hills will donated portions of the class proceeds to Chris Bagley’s kidney journey. For those of you that do not know Chris and his story, he was a 25 year old young man in 2014 who was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) when he was thirteen years old. While PKD is a genetic disease, which attacks both kidneys, Chris was one of the 10% of patients where it mutated, most likely because it was a recessive gene in both parents. Unfortunately, in late fall of 2013, Chris learned that his kidneys had taken a turn for the worse. In January 2014 Chris’ kidney function was down to 16%, deeming him eligible for and needing a kidney transplant. He was evaluated by the University of Michigan Transplant Center and was placed on the UNOS transplant list in February 2014. His hope was to find a live donor, as the transplant waiting list in Michigan is in excess of five years.
To support Chris and his kidney journey, many supporters were in attendance at Pinot’s Palette. Thank you for all those in attendance, Chris is now one step closer to survival.