Theodore Hart “Ted” BUDINE, Sr.^{[1, 2]}

1937 - 2018  (81 years)

• Name	Theodore Hart “Ted” BUDINE  [3, 4]
  Suffix	Sr.
  Birth	1937  [4]
  Gender	Male
  HIST	I feel sure that this article is about Sr. jkh Date Published: January 3, 2010 Sumter woman to give kidney to her dad Belton White / The Item Ted Budine Sr., his wife, Diane; his daughter, Melissa, standing; and his great-grandson, Landen Touchberry, enjoy some family time together recently. Ted will get a kidney from his daughter on Jan. 20, as he was diagnosed with kidney failure. By BELTON WHITE Item Staff Writer bwhite@theitem.com When Ted Budine Sr. was diagnosed with kidney failure last year, he knew he didn't want to use dialysis for treatment. "It's just not a pleasant experience from what I can tell," he said recently. Budine said that even though dialysis affects people differently, he didn't want to take a chance with it. The 72-year-old Sumter resident has had diabetes and high blood pressure and thinks that a combination of the two ailments caused his kidneys to fail. On Jan. 20, though, Budine will undergo a kidney transplant thanks to his daughter Melissa, who is giving him one of her own. Budine and his wife, Diane, don't have enough insurance, but they are hoping the community can help them pay for the costs related to his surgery that aren't covered by Medicare. The family has set up a fund through the National Bank of South Carolina called the "Ted H. Budine Sr. Kidney Transplant Fund" for those who are willing to help out. Fortunately for Budine, the disease hasn't drastically affected his quality of life — besides the fact that he has to take 26 pills a day. "I do most everything that I normally do, except I get a little tired at the end of the day," he said. "I can't do as much as I used to do." Two years ago, Budine was retired from his job at Energy Erectors in Leesburg, Fla., because of his age, but he's been a hands-on person throughout his life. He has built and sailed his own boats, and he enjoys painting acrylic and watercolor artwork, which he displays at the Iris Festival every year. In December 2008, Budine was diagnosed with kidney failure, but he had to be evaluated to determine if he'd be eligible for a transplant. When it was determined he was a candidate, he was added to a list of people needing transplants. The Budines were told that it could take at least a year or two for a kidney to be found, so they were shocked to get a phone call saying otherwise much more quickly. "It sounds crazy, but two days after we got a letter saying he was on the list, they called and said they had a kidney," Diane Budine said. "We were so flabbergasted, I mean we hadn't even had time to think about kidney transplant or even that he was sick, which he wasn't sick. You can see him right now, does he look sick? "And you just don't know what to say," she continued. "And we weren't prepared at all — mentally, physical or financially — so I told the lady that he would rather that someone get it that needed it more than he did, which might have been a mistake, but who knows. You just never know what's right or what's wrong." Belton White / The Item Ted Budine Sr. looks at some of his artwork in his home studio in Sumter recently. Had the Budines accepted the kidney, they would've gone to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for surgery that night. After talking it over, Diane and Melissa Budine were tested to see if their kidneys would be a match for Ted. Diane Budine's wasn't, but Melissa's was. Melissa Budine said she would have done anything for her dad to prevent him from going through dialysis. "That was the biggest thing for me, not wanting him to go on dialysis," she said. "Nobody would want to go on dialysis if they didn't have to. I was in the military and worked in a hospital and watched people that had to be on dialysis and stuff, and it's just real hard." Even before she got the results back, 46-year-old Budine said she knew she wanted to give her dad a kidney. "I'm just thankful that I was, you know, able to do it, be a match," she said. Following the surgery, she expects to take about six weeks off from working at Boykin Air Conditioning Service and said doctors told her she can live her life normally with one kidney. "I won't be any different with one kidney," she said. "You know, I can't play football, or ride horses or play, you know, rugby, but other than that, people live all the time with one kidney." Ted Budine's recovery will also take time, and it's one of his wife's chief concerns. "What worries me more than anything about the surgery is that it kills your immune system, and you're susceptible to cancer or anything else," she said. "That's the part – the afterwards part – that really scares me." Belton White / The Item Ted Budine Sr. walks his companion, Scotty, down his street in Sumter recently. The Budines aren't sure how much the surgeries will cost, but Diane Budine fears the anti-rejection medicine and steroids her husband will have to take may not be covered under Medicare. "I don't know how much Medicare is going to pay for that powerful medicine," she said. "It can cost up to $5,000 a month." Ted Budine said he's a got a couple of things around the house he'd like to do after he gets a new lease on life. "I'd like to do a lot more painting and work more on paintings," he said. "I got an old Italian sports car I'd like to fix up one of these days, and I used to go fly fishing." Contact Staff Writer Belton White at bwhite@theitem.com or (803) 774-1295. HOW TO HELP VISIT ANY NBSC BRANCH AND GIVE CASH, CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO THE "TED H. BUDINE SR. KIDNEY TRANSPLANT FUND."  [4]
  Occupation	he is retired from his job at Energy Erectors in Leesburg, Florida  [4]
  _UID	E58FF2A11BD74A598C7CABFD9FDE52557066
  Death	20 Jan 2018	Palmetto Health Tuomey Hospital, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina
  Burial	Private
  	Bullock Funeral Home & Crematorium, Sumter, South Carolina
  Person ID	I121434	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2018

  
  

  Family	Diane WELDON
  _UID	EF4369AADDBB4DB8BAAC0F67EAE645B68997
  _UID	EF4369AADDBB4DB8BAAC0F67EAE645B68997
  Children	1. Living   2. Theodore Hart “Ted” BUDINE, Jr.   3. Kimberly BUDINE
  Family ID	F83668	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	10 Mar 2017

  
  

• Sources

  [S24976] Barbara Ann W. Kinney. [S25765] Theodore H. Budine. [S3253] . [S13405] Woman to give kidney to dad.