Chased by the Wolf: A Life with Lupus and the Kidney Transplant That Saved It

In the summer of 1974, Jill Sauceman was ready to begin the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. During her college physical, at a small medical clinic in Nickelsville, Virginia, her doctor noticed something out of the ordinary. Suddenly, Jill’s future plans were put on hold, when he discovered that her kidneys were not functioning properly. He diagnosed her with lupus nephritis, a disease she had never heard of before. Instead of preparing for college, she was made acutely aware of her own mortality at a young age. She was told that within ten to fifteen years of the diagnosis, she would be on dialysis or would require a kidney transplant. She fought through total hip replacements and debilitating flare-ups of lupus and managed to save her increasingly weakened kidneys until 2014, when she received a life-saving kidney transplant from an anonymous donor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. At the time, her kidney function had deteriorated to less than seven percent. This book recounts her life story and how, in 1978, she met the person who would help her through the struggles and celebrate her triumphs. The marriage of Fred and Jill Sauceman has survived for almost forty years. Advised by a family doctor never to marry her, Fred ignored that advice and followed his heart. This book also sends a strong message about the need for organ donation. As Jill’s transplant surgeon says, too many valuable organs are being buried. All proceeds from Chased By The Wolf will benefit the renal transplant program at Vanderbilt.