While waiting for a kidney and pancreas donor, Robert Bayuk has starred in one theatrical production and written one play contemplating censorship and its many forms.

Now, as his struggle with diabetes and end-stage renal failure takes its toll, Bayuk hopes to raise enough money to help pay for an organ transplant and an extended medical stay in Seattle.

"There could be worse things in life," Bayuk said, talking about his disease. "It's just a daily look at life, figuring it out, living it one day at a time. I'm just really thankful people are helping me."

Bayuk has been a diabetic for almost 20 years, and blames the affliction for his kidney failure. He hopes a new pancreas will cure the disease, and that new kidneys will extend his life.

But that means waiting for a donor, carrying a pager, and being ready for surgery within 24 hours, should the organs become available.

"It could go off at any time," Bayuk said of his pager. "It could go off today. It could go off four years from now."

The procedure will be performed at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.

But waiting for that moment takes patience, he said. And in the mean time, end-stage renal failure means three trips a week to St. Peter's Hospital for dialysis. Those sessions do what his kidneys cannot, but each lasts four hours.

Coping with the disease has had its benefits, Bayuk admitted. With a degree in theater from Carroll College and acting experience with Grandstreet Theatre, Bayuk had always thought of writing a play. Now he has.

"It's a one-man play that I've written and perform," he said. "This was an idea that had been stewing in my head for a long, long time. Finally, this year, I finally put it down on paper."

The inspiration for the play came from his part in the recent Grandstreet performance of "Death Trap." He played a frustrated playwright and, after the show ran its course, he put pen to paper and accomplished his goal.

"I had a muse and the muse told me to write this play, and I did," he said. "The play goes through all kinds of talks about our government, the church, and sexuality. It's about how we sometimes censor ourselves, and what that ultimately means."