Seattle Man with PKD Captures the Lighter Side of Sealife

Bruce Yates is an investment manager by day, underwater photographer by night, and eternal optimist by nature.

So it should come as no surprise that only hours removed from his kidney transplant at the University of Washington Medical Center, he was his usual cheerful self, only with an extra dose of gratitude added for good reason.

Doctors diagnosed Yates with PKD nearly a decade ago while undergoing an unrelated examination.  Without a family history of PKD, the diagnosis came as a complete surprise.  Doctors believe his PKD is likely the result of a rare genetic mutation, one that makes up between 10 and 20 percent of the PKD population.

As his kidneys started to falter and the need for a transplant neared, his brother and sister jumped at the opportunity to help a sibling in need.  However, both were eliminated as potential donors in the final round of tests.  That’s when two friends, each a compatible donor, stepped forward to offer him a healthy kidney. 

This past Oct. 21, surgeons placed one of those healthy kidneys, donated by close family friend Sherry Robinson, into Yates.  They left his two polycystic kidneys in place, leaving him with a trio of the vital organ and what Yates likes to call “Y3K”, or Yates’ 3 Kidneys.

Although he remains cautiously optimistic – his body could still begin to reject the healthy kidney – Yates is energized about the prospect of returning to his biggest passion: underwater photography.  The self-proclaimed “serious amateur” has been told by doctors that a return to the underwater realm could happen as soon as the summer of 2010.

When that day comes he’ll be able to resume on the work that has been garnering more and more attention recently.  This time last year, a photo of his won the “Oceans” division of the 2008 Nature’s Best Photography competition.   As a result, it was on display for six months at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History.
Yates also uses his pictures to help raise funds for two causes close to his heart.  Sales from his 2007 photo calendar raised more than $12,000 for the PKD Foundation.  Also, he currently donates all profits from his photography to the International Children’s Surgical Foundation.

He made the decision years ago to not keep a penny of profit from his photography to both pay it forward and also to preserve his passion as simply that.  When the amateur becomes a professional, he says, some of the fun is often lost.

And a lot of fun has been had with his award-winning snapshot.  It came on a shark diving trip in the Bahamas and was a product of luck more than skill, he readily admits.  The photo captures a 7-foot Lemon shark just beneath the ocean surface at sunset with what appears to be a toothy smile on its face. 

It’s a fitting snapshot taken by a man with plenty of reasons to smile.