Robert Butke was forced to medically retire from the postal service after 26 years. What he dreams of now is travelling to different cities to watch the Spurs play.
SAN ANTONIO — Robert Butke’s journey through kidney disease hasn’t be an easy road. His wife Alexandra was a match. After donating her kidney, his body rejected it.
“Spending time with the family, my daughter – hoping to see her grow into her life,” Robert said. “If she ever wants to get married, I want to be there for that. Just some of those basic things.”
Butke is grateful for where he is today but his condition takes a toll.
“I try to live a normal life but there’s days that it’s mentally trying.”
What Robert and his wife Alexandra are advocating for – is awareness.
“He really is tethered to the dialysis machine,” she said. “So that means that his space at night is our room. he cannot go much further from that. From that perspective I think that’s what’s led to his anxiety and him having issues of almost like claustrophobic.”
Alexandra is also Robert’s caregiver – she donated her kidney to him in 2015 – but his body rejected it.
“The doctor told us the normal lifespan of a kidney can be an average of 15-20 years,” Alexandra said. “Unfortunately for us, it was a lot shorter, which was really from my perspective really devastating because now I cannot help him anymore.”
His family is doing what they can to build more awareness around kidney disease – like creating flyers, but they also need your support.
“Just walking in my neighborhood, passing out pamphlets,” Alexandra said. “I’ve met several individuals who lost loved ones to kidney disease who couldn’t get a transplant on time. So my message to the people of San Antonio is to look into being a kidney donor.”