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Collision industry trainer, mentor and Hall of Eagles member Toby Chess is among the many Americans suffering severe kidney disease, under going dialysis and in need of an organ from a living or deceased donor.

Colleagues have started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Chess.

“T oby Chess is known throughout our industry, not only as an amazing instructor with a plethora of technical knowledge, but for his willingness to give of himself, impart his knowledge to others and to ALWAYS do the right thing,” the GoFundMe campaign states. “Always the first to step forward and help others, our industry has the opportunity to pay it forward to our dear friend Toby, who is valiantly battling kidney failure as COVID-19 cripples his teaching schedule.

“He has spent his life in service of others within our industry, and now has the opportunity to feel the reciprocal support from an industry that appreciates what he has done. Currently, Toby is undergoing dialysis three times a week, for four hours per treatment. This fund represents a way for an industry that is grateful, to recognize a wonderful man for his decades of service and volunteerism. For anyone that has ever been inspired by his words, motivated by his articles, informed by his seminars or videos, or simply touched by his generosity in sharing information.”

Contributions can be made here.

Chess’ high-profile example might leave collision repairers and other colleagues curious about kidby Emmariah Holcomb, glassBYTEs.com

Prices for materials used in the auto glass industry showed mostly increases in August, according to recently released Producer Price Index (PPI) data from the Bureau of

Labor Statistics (BLS). The monthly PPI, which includes auto glass*, increased by 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. The

PPI went down by 0.1% from July. According to the BLS, the ney disease and organ donation as well.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates about 15% of U.S. adults have some form of chronic kidney disease, with nearly all unaware they have it. Simple blood and urine tests will tip off doctors to the presence of

Toby Chess, right, hugs his wife, Sheila, after winning one of many Society of Collision Repair Specialists honors. Credit: Provided by Aaron Schulenburg/SCRS

the condition. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease said people with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or a family history of kidney failure are demographics that particularly should get tested.

The illness leaves excess waste and water within the body—the damaged kidneys aren’t able to filter out the substances to the degree a healthy kidney would. Heart disease and stroke risks increase, and more specific illnesses like anemia or a weakened immune system can arise if the condition worsens.

Some forms of kidney disease are manageable. However, Chess has Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, which is considered complete kidney failure. Ongoing dialysis is necessary to live.

The dialysis process serves as commodity classification “organizes products and services by similarity or material composition, regardless of the industry classification of the producing establishment.”

Prices for motor vehicle parts went down by 0.1% from August 2019, and in that index, in the commodity grouping, month-overmonth prices remained the same.

The PPI for molded rubber mechanical goods (automotive) re mained the same when compared to a replacement for failed kidneys by artificially removing waste and water from the body, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Reaching a state of chronic or endstage kidney failure stage leaves a patient on dialysis permanently unless he or she can get a new kidney.

According to the American Kidney Fund nonprofit, most patients have to wait three to five years before a kidney is available from someone who has died. Chess’s transplant facility, the University of California, Los Angeles, says the Los Angeles-area wait time is five to 10 years.

However , living Americans are permitted to donate a single kidney or a piece of a liver to whomever they choose.

“Kidney is much more common,” said Anne Paschke, spokesperson for the United Network for Or gan Sharing, the organization that manages the national transplant list.

Last year saw “nearly 7,000” kidney transplants related to living donors, she said.

Prospective donors should contact the prospective recipient’s transplant center, which will evaluate whether the donor’s blood type and antibodies are an appropriate match. Though it’s possible some of the preliminary testing can be done in the donor’s home area, prospective donors should still start the process by contacting the recipient’s local transplant center, Paschke said.

For Chess, donors would visit www.uclakidneydonor.org and provide his name, Toby Chess, and date of birth, Aug. 6, 1945.

About one in five donors are its reading last month, and also saw a decrease of 1.4% when compared to last year.

Adhesives and sealants saw an increase of 0.2% when compared to last month and saw an increase of 1% from last year.

Motor vehicle repair and maintenance, in the services grouping, went up by 0.1% on a month-over-month basis, as well as going up by 2.1% for the year.

The cost of private passenger healthy enough to provide a kidney, according to UCLA. Assuming that threshold is met, blood type and antibody compatibility are the two main variables tested to determine a match, according to Paschke.

A person with Type O blood can only receive a Type O person’s kidney. Someone with Type A blood needs either a Type A or Type O person’s kidney, and someone with Type B blood must have a Type B or Type O donor. However, Type AB blood means a recipient can use a kidney from any of the four blood types.

Rh factor (the + or – associated with a blood type) only matters “in some very rare cases,” Paschke said.

It’ s still possible for a donor to help their intended recipient even if both parties aren’t a match, Paschke said. A donor who isn’t a match for their intended recipient can be set up with a paired exchange.

Here’ s how it works. Let’s say Person A wants to donate to Person B and Person C wants to donate to Person D, but neither is a match for their recipient. But if A and D are compatible and B and C are compatible, then A donates to D and C donates to B.

The two donors have still given a kidney, and the two intended patients received one, so it all works out. The transplant center would set up such a pair donation.

The transplant center can sort all the willing donors and their desired recipients and see if a paired match would work. Paschke said some trades even involve more than two pairs of donors to obtain the re

PPI: August Shows Upswing in Auto Glass Material Pricing

quired results. auto insurance services went down by 0.3% when compared to last month, which resulted in a 0.7% increase on a year-over-year basis. Commercial auto insurance went up by 0.4% on a month-over-month ba sis and was up 3.5% year over year. *This number is for the specialty glass category in August under the commodity category.

W e thank glassBYTEs.com for reprint permission.