Former racecar driver from Taylor to receive kidney from nephew

Former racecar driver from Taylor to receive kidney from nephew

By Andrea Blum, The News-Herald

Jerry Lee is used to living an adventurous life.

The Taylor resident spent years as a racecar driver with the Automobile Racing Club of America, zooming around tracks at the Flat Rock Speedway and Toledo Speedway.

Now he’s facing a different kind of adventure.

The 46-year-old is in kidney failure from diabetes and is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Thanks to his nephew, 20-year-old Richie Lee Jr., he is scheduled to get one Jan. 22 at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. His nephew is the son of Rich Lee, Jerry’s brother, who also is a former Figure 8 driver and now a car owner for Dennis Whisman.

Jerry Lee currently receives dialysis every other day to stay alive. He has difficulty walking and has lost some of his vision as a result of the disease.

But his friends and family say the problems haven’t dampened his determination to not give up on life.

“Even though he has these struggles, he still pushes through and goes to work every day and doesn't give up,” said his daughter, Kadie Lee.

After years of racing his Figure 8 car, he had to turn the keys over to his son, Jakob, in 2014 due to his illness.

Jerry and his wife, Karrie, have five children. None of the three eldest were a match and the youngest two are teens – too young to donate kidneys.

Doctors told him that his chances of getting a donated kidney from the donor list in time to save his life weren’t very good.

When Richie Lee stepped forward to be tested, the family was hopeful.

“He’s been sick for a long time, and his nephew was his employee,” said his daughter, Kara Zubke. “They’ve always been really close. He offered to be tested and they were a match.”

But the process wasn’t simple.

“He’s been going through many tests since August and it was just confirmed at the end of December,” she said. “We were all talking about what a wonderful Christmas gift it was.”

His daughters said seeing their father’s health decline so rapidly has been a shock and very emotionally unsettling.

“It’s almost like one day he just aged out of nowhere,” Zubke said. “He went from this big, strong dad that could do anything to needing help getting up the stairs. This makes him so sick and so tired.”

Kadie Lee said the family is overjoyed about the transplant and overwhelmed with the sacrifice Richie Lee is making for his uncle.

“We’re just really happy,” she said. “This is just going to be a blessing.”

His family is hopeful that a new kidney will not only save his life, but also improve his quality of life.

“He is legally blind and this is not going to help his eyesight, but he may be able to get eye surgery because his health will be better than it was,” his daughter said.

And they’re hopeful that he’ll be able to return to work at his business, Affordable Transmission in Garden City, and be around his first love – cars.

“He’s been racing since he was 15 … but stopped around the time he was diagnosed with kidney failure,” his daughter said. “He doesn’t really even drive a car now.

“When he was younger, before he raced, he used to drive a tow truck.”

The Lees are giving people, and now they’re hoping the community will give in return. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help both Jerry and Richie Lee with financial support while they recover. Jerry and his wife also are raising their 5-year-old grandson at their house.

“Since dad was his employer and Richie will be out of work for three months, we want to be sure their bills are covered,” Kadie Lee said.

Visit gofundme.com/akhshb6k to donate.

http://thenewsherald.com/articles/2016/01/19/life/doc569eb1bfe1999236589002.txt

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