News : Area racer looking for match for second kidney transplant

For years, Chris Luloff of Independence has been competing with drivers on eastern Iowa dirt tracks, including the Benton County Speedway in Vinton. During most of those years, Luloff has been facing another lifelong opponent: Kidney disease. Diagnosed at age 1 with Alport Syndrome, Luloff has battled kidney problems throughout his life. He had a transplant in 2007, and was doing will until 2013. After a series of kidney-related health problems, doctors were forced to remove his remaining donor kidney. While Luloff still has his original kidneys, they have not functioned since his first transplant. On May 30, 2014, his transplanted kidney was removed. "Chris has no working kidneys and relies solely on dialysis to reduce his blood pressure, clean his blood and remove fluids," says his girlfriend, Jess Ender. Ender, a Vinton native, says the search for a matching donor has continued since 2013. She has been encouraged by the improvements in kidney donor matching, but says the closer the match, the better the transplanted kidney will work. Luloff is "doing really well right now," says Ender, who plans on accompanying him to races this season. The couple will be at Vinton on June 12 for the annual Urbana 5/Iowa Donor Network night. The most important thing for Luloff's racing friends, says Ender, is being aware of the many people like Luloff who are on donor waiting lists. See more about Chris's story, with links to donor network sites HERE.