From the time she was a Kapa‘a High School student, Nikki Puanani Inanod Farias embraced a dream: having two children. But her dreams faded at age 18, when Farias was pregnant and was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a type of
From the time she was a Kapa‘a High School student, Nikki Puanani Inanod Farias embraced a dream: having two children.
But her dreams faded at age 18, when Farias was pregnant and was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a type of chronic kidney failure. Her doctor warned her that her condition could complicate a pregnancy. She wanted a child, and gave birth to a healthy daughter, who is now 8.
Farias, a kidney-transplant survivor, has reason to be equally happy today.
Through the donation of a healthy kidney from her father, Julio Inanod, Farias, 27, can now lead a fuller life, and pursue her dreams of having a larger family.
To defray more than $100,000 in expenses accrued during the kidney surgery at the St. Francis Medical Center on O‘ahu earlier this year, and living costs on O‘ahu prior to and after the surgery, family and friends of Farias have scheduled a fund-raiser at Rob’s Good Times Grill on Friday, April 8.
A silent auction will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Entertainment also will be offered. A minimum admission charge of $5 will be assessed after 10 p.m.
A grand-prize drawing for three round-trip tickets for two people also will be offered. The winner of the lucky drawing and the highest bidder for the silent-auction items will be named at 9:30 p.m.
Farias said she is on the road to recovery, and is ready to return to work in the guest-services section at Pahio Resorts. She stopped work on Jan. 1, and was scheduled to return to work Monday, March 28.
Farias lives in Kapahi with her daughter and her husband, Jon.
Farias, whose maiden name is Inanod, was diagnosed with the kidney ailment at the age of 18. “During my pregnancy, I found out about my condition during blood and urine tests,” she said. “The doctor didn’t want me to have my daughter, because the condition would affect my kidneys.”
But Farias said she went through with the pregnancy anyway, because she loves children. One of three children, Farias said she grew up in a loving family, and wants a larger family of her own.
“My father made that possible. He was a giving father,” she said. “He gave me this gift (his kidney).”
Farias grew up in Hanalei and Kilauea, and her mother was Krystine Masada Inanod, now deceased.
Farias attended Hanalei School, and graduated from Kapa‘a High School in 1995. Two years ago, her kidney function diminished, and she began receiving kidney dialysis three times a week. The treatment wasn’t enough.
Because she has a rare blood type, she wasn’t able to find a kidney donor immediately. Her father came forward, and through tests, it was determined that his blood type was a match.
Her family and friends offered the type of support that helped her get through a rough time, she said.
Farias went through testing on O‘ahu a week prior to her Jan. 13 surgery. Her husband, a wildlife technician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture who works at Lihu‘e Airport, took off from work for five weeks to give her support.
Her father, an employee of Kobayashi Trucking, a Hanalei-based company, took off from work for the surgery. He has since returned to work.
Joni Nakamura, a childhood friend of Farias, said her friend has medical insurance, but not enough to cover all the expenses. She would welcome donations to offset the costs of the surgery and her travel and lodging costs on O‘ahu that weren’t covered by the insurance
Those who want to make a donation or have any questions about the fund-raiser may call Preston Brede at 652-6919, or Nakamura at 652-8384.
