Bowling Green Elementary School rallies behind Delinder Gulati

The Bowling Green Elementary School community is rallying behind one of its own as she battles end-stage kidney failure.

Delinder Gulati, a beloved employee and school monitor at Bowling Green Elementary School in the East Meadow School District, is currently experiencing rapidly progressing kidney failure. The school community is hoping someone is a match and will be able to donate their kidney, giving her a chance to live a full, healthy life.

Gulati, 43, is an East Meadow mom of three. Her children attend East Meadow High School, Woodland Middle School and Parkway Elementary School.

Gulati was born with one kidney, but is otherwise healthy and does not have any medical conditions. She’d been seeing a nephrologist, a physician that specializes in kidney and renal care for several years, she explained, to monitor the functionality of her kidney.

“My old nephrologist misguided me,” she said. “He never told me (my kidney function) was going that down.”

Gulati said she was experiencing tiredness, but didn’t consider that something was wrong.

“I used to get tired, and I was like maybe I’m working too hard,” she said. “I never paid attention (or thought) that’s causing me this.”

This past spring, Gulati said her primary care doctor called her after reviewing blood work, and indicated that needed to see a different nephrologist as soon as possible. The following morning, she met with a different doctor, who explained that her situation was dire.

“He’s such a great doctor,” she said. “He did it right away — put me on the transplant list.”

When someone needs a transplant, Gulati explained, several evaluations must to take place. She met with different doctors and social workers, who checked in on everything — even offering to help with her children, who were all in school at the time.

At the end of last school year, Gulati informed Bowling Green’s principal, Maria Ciarametaro, and assistant principal, Jaime Assortato, that she was experiencing major health problems — and they quickly offered to help, in any way possible.

Her kidney is only operating with 10 percent functionality, which is end-stage kidney disease or kidney failure. The functionality is so low, that unfortunately dialysis — a treatment that helps the body remove extra fluid and waste products from the blood when kidneys are not able to — will not help Gulati.

“By the time the primary care doctor got her in touch with the new nephrologist, her kidney was already functioning below the level which they would consider her for dialysis,” Assortato said. “There’s a certain percentage that you need to be on because dialysis basically maintains you. So it just keeps the kidney functioning for you, while you wait for a transplant, but the kidney has to be able to function with that.”

When someone needs an organ transplant, the donor needs to not only be the same blood type, but also a tissue match. Typically, close relatives — like parents or siblings — may be a match, but unfortunately, Gulati’s brother is not one.

The Bowling Green community is publicizing Gulati’s story, setting up social media accounts and sending out flyers, explaining how dire her situation is, in the hopes that people will get tested and see if their kidney is a match.

“It’s a lot — but the initial screening is not,” Assortato said. “So if someone is interested, it’s just a simple blood test to see if there’s even a possibility that they’re a match. Let’s say the blood matches, then they can go to the next step, which would be to see if the tissues match. It’s nothing invasive.”

Gulati said physically, she’s extremely tired.

“I get up in the morning, and I’m like — today, I’m fine,” Gulati said. “And by like 12, you can see my face, like I’m down.”

She’s also experiencing swelling of extremities, like her feet.

“It will start burning from the bottom,” she said, “literally like I’m standing on fire.”

Every day, Gulati still goes to work, and does her best to care for the students.

Gulati’s medical care is through Northwell Health, and she’s working with Libbie Binkiewicz, a licensed social worker, who can help those interested in possibly donating get tested.

“She’s kind of the go between,” Assortato said. “She keeps Delinder informed on like how many people have come to get tested, how many people have contacted her,”

“But, some of the information is confidential,” Ciarametaro added, “so, she can’t really like tell her everything.”

Binkiewicz can be reached at (516) 666-0899 and at lbinkiewicz@northwell.edu. The Instragram account @KidneyForDelinder, was created to help publicize her situation, and keep people informed.

“She is not only a loving mother, but a devoted wife, sister, and friend,” Bowling Green’s flyer about Gulati reads. “She is someone who would never ask anything from anyone, so we are asking you, on Delinder’s behalf, to consider getting tested to see if you might be a potential match. If you are uncomfortable getting tested, all we ask is that you spread the word far and wide to help Delinder get a kidney.”