16th Air Force member stays resilient through kidney disease

  • Published
  • By Matthew McGovern
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  The average weight of a normal adult kidney is half a pound.

Charles Parsons, 16th Air Force Management and Program Analysist, bears the weight of 40-pound kidneys, each kidney weighing 20 pounds.

Parsons suffers from polycystic kidney disease, an inherited disorder where cyst clusters develop in the kidneys, causing them to expand and lose function over time.

At age 17, he was tested for PKD after his father succumbed to the disease in his mid-30s.

“I just had my brother and sister growing up; my mother passed away four years before my dad, from breast cancer,” Parsons said, who served 21 years in the Air Force as an administrator and logistics planner. “Me and my sister have PKD and my brother does not.”

His brother couldn’t donate a kidney to Charles because he didn’t have the required O type blood to match his sibling.

Despite this, Parsons remains hopeful.

More than 46,600 organ transplant operations occurred in the U.S. in 2023, nearly 7,000 of those came from living donors and nearly 104,000 Americans are on the waiting list, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

A kidney transplant is the only way to regain function after PKD; Parsons has been on the waiting list since 2021.   

Most employees weren’t aware of his condition; he tried to ignore it, pushing thoughts of his sickness to the back of his mind, until a mishap occurred on October 2021, while on temporary duty.

“I was TDY at Moody Air Force Base with the IG [Inspector General] team, and I fell in the parking lot,” said Parsons. “That triggered the dialysis.”

He was taken to the hospital where doctors discovered multiple cysts. His PKD couldn’t be ignored as it was critically affecting kidney function, causing end stage kidney disease requiring regular dialysis.

At 63 years old, he’s been on dialysis for the last two and a half years. He receives treatment three times per week, and his sessions take three hours each totaling nearly 40 hours per month.

“Some days dialysis goes really smooth, other days it just wipes me out,” said Parsons.

Parsons works full time in 16th Air Force’s Plans and Integrations section. While his mind is still sharp, he struggles with physical tasks most people take for granted.

“Short walks down the hallway at work take me longer than others,” said Parsons. “I often get asked if I’m okay while resting halfway down the hallway.”   

Parsons frequent high blood pressure and back pain has become too much to bear; although he enjoys contributing to the mission, he plans on retiring in early 2025.  

“Unfortunately, my condition has worsened and my kidneys are functioning at about 15%, not well enough to sustain my life,” said Parsons.

His dialysis continues while he leans on support from medical staff, the chaplain team, and community. 

“As a psychiatrist and now as a command surgeon, I’ve learned leaning on a good support system is paramount for both personal and professional life struggles,” said Col. Andrew Rees, 16th Air Force Command Surgeon. “Together, with a positive mindset, we can choose to remain optimistic. It is the thoughts we choose to believe, focus on and embrace that determine our own reality — emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.”

Rees is responsible for medical strategy and policy development supporting the health and resilience of 16th Air Force’s 49,000 personnel.

“Our hearts go out to him and others like him in need of organ donation,” said Rees. “It is true that we cannot control the waves on the sea, but we can build, strengthen, maintain and repair our ship.”

Other available support programs at 16th Air Force include the True North Religious Support Team. The team has 100% confidential counseling and are equipped to further assist in helping 16th Air Force personnel with other Joint Base San Antonio resilience resources, such as the Vogel Resiliency Center at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. 

“Though I’m tired, I won’t give up; I’ll continue to fight as long as I can,” said Parsons.

To learn more about JBSA resilience resources visit, https://www.jbsa.mil/Resources/Resiliency/Vogel-Resiliency-Center/ or organ donation visit, https://walterreed.tricare.mil/transplant.