After kidney disease diagnosis, longtime Cornell University employee searches for donor

For over three decades, Michael Cook, of Lansing, has canoed the waters of the Northeast.

He trains through winter, steadying his boat as whitecaps slap its sides, and races into the fast spring rapids of craggy rivers cut jagged through New England.

In summer, he crosses Cayuga Lake on a long outrigger boat, teaching others what he has learned, watching as shallow pools begin to reflect yellow, red and orange, autumn closing in on another year.

Now in his 60s, canoeing has kept his heart strong and his mind calm, even as his kidneys slowly — then rapidly — deteriorated.

Cook has captured more than a dozen national titles for whitewater open canoe slalom racing. The courses are fast — only five or six minutes — with the athletes navigating around obstacles with just a paddle. Some races are downstream, with churning rapids thrusting the canoes forward. Sometimes the race is upstream and a paddler must navigate obstacles as the force of nature rushes towards them.

“You have to go all over the place and you're always turning," said Cook. "It forces to you use your skills."

He reads the water and studies how it moves. It’s critical to be exact.

“If you just go out and paddle, you won’t be fast,” he said. “You’ll just waste energy.”

A shocking diagnosis

Cook was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes when he was in his 30s.

He was always active, working at Cornell University and raising three boys with his partner Simonetta in a house with views of Cayuga Lake.

He seemed healthy.

“That’s one of the destructive components of diabetes,” he said. “You don't feel that it's doing something to your body but it affects many of your organs.”

Cook first learned his kidney health was declining about 20 years ago. He recalls being told nothing could be done about it at that point.

But a routine doctor’s visit about a year and a half ago left him reeling: He was in Stage 4 kidney failure. His kidneys were functioning at only 30%.

A sudden drop to 20% followed.

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'It's getting really hard'

As healthcare providers began to talk to him about dialysis, Cook researched kidney transplants. He discovered that long-term outcomes were better with preemptive transplants, before dialysis was done.

Cook advocated for a referral to the transplant center at University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital. He began traveling to Rochester, making dozens of trips for tests to determine if he was a good candidate for a kidney transplant.

He underwent scans and ultrasounds, searching for hidden diseases. His cardiovascular system was evaluated, and the arteries where a new kidney would attach were carefully mapped out.

After over a year of testing, Cook was approved for a transplant. By now, his weight was steadily dropping from his lean, muscular frame. Some of his medications were no longer effective.

But as he had done for decades, Cook found solace in water. He paddled with the Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club several times a week and participated in whitewater slalom races with friends.

"It's getting really hard," he said, "but I just love it so much."

He studies the water, and adapts to its crests, its calm.

Friends help Cornell employee find kidney

At Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, where he has worked since 1986, Cook is admired as both a colleague and a friend.

“He's always going out of his way to help other people,” said Elisabeth Bodnaruk, who has worked with Cook for about five years.

As his colleagues became aware of his need for a kidney donor, they brainstormed ideas to raise awareness. Bodnaruk helped launch kidneydonor4mike.com, which includes facts on living kidney donation and the steps needed to register for testing to be his donor. She's been encouraging him to get a billboard to bring more awareness to his need for a donor.

Cook's CHESS colleagues share his Facebook updates and decorate his van with colorful messages, hoping a compatible donor will see it. A few even offered to be kidney donors themselves.

Gabrielle Illava, a Cornell PhD student, has known Cook since she was an undergraduate student. They bonded over their shared interest in protecting the Finger Lakes and became friends.

During their first conversation about his need for a kidney, Illava immediately offered one of hers. She said it felt “like the right thing to do.”

“You know, he's just a wonderful person,” Illava said. “And I know how much he enjoys being active, so I can't imagine the decrease in his quality of life from being physically restricted.”

But by the end of April, testing revealed that Illava was not a compatible donor.

"It's hard because it feels like there's only one thing that I can do and now I can't do that," said Illava.

Getting the word out

As the waters of the Finger Lakes begin to warm, Cook coaches the Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club. He studies the water, reminded how ancient peoples would cross vast oceans in canoes, paddling towards the unknown.

His kidneys are now functioning at about 13%. His nephrologist is encouraging him to get the surgery he needs to start dialysis.

"He thinks I'm running out of time and won't make it until when my potential transplant takes place," Cook wrote in an email.

If he begins dialysis, he won't be able to get in the water. He's scheduled for a whitewater race in mid-June.

A few more people have stepped forward offering to be kidney donors, including a woman he knows from canoeing. They share the same blood type, increasing the possibility of donor compatibility, but it will be months before her testing is completed.

"If I am very careful and lucky, I can make it without dialysis until then," said Cook.

If she's not a match, more potential donors will be needed. His family, friends and colleagues continue to help him find a kidney, as "getting the word out can make a really huge difference," said Bodnaruk.

Illava, who tried to donate but wasn't a match, said it's uncommon to be able to give someone this kind of hope.

"It's very rare in life that you can make a significant, tangible impact," said Illava.

To find out how you can help Michael Cook find a kidney donor, visit kidneydonor4mike.com and follow his updates on Facebook.

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This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Cornell employee, Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club coach needs kidney donor