BOARDMAN — Township Administrator Jason Loree notified trustees at Tuesday’s meeting he will be requesting FMLA leave over the coming months to deal with personal illness.

“Over the next several months, I might be taking a little leave due to my health and I’ll be here as long as I can to help the community out,” he said.

Loree, 43, has been open about his health issues because he wants to raise awareness about the illness that has taken hold of him — polycystic kidney disease.

The genetic disease causes multiple cysts to form in the kidneys, and as they grow, they cause swelling in the kidneys and eventual organ failure.

Loree was on leave at the beginning of this year after undergoing heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.

There, he was treated for an aortic root aneurysm. Surgeons had to remove a ruined portion of the descending aorta and replace it with medical-grade tubing.

The aneurysm was a byproduct of his kidney disease. Loree said those with polycystic kidneys are five times more likely to develop aneurysms.

“I have to be checked annually for them. They are most likely to occur in the brain, but this one just happened to be in my heart,” he said.

He was not certain he would return to work at all after that, but felt good enough to get back on the job in March. Not long after his recovery, though, the kidney problems began to take hold.

Loree said kidney failure causes more problems than people might expect.

“It hits the intestinal tract, the GI tract, there’s a lot of pain and fatigue, nausea, high blood pressure, just a lot of things that go along with it that people don’t know about,” he said.

Loree said the disease is common on his mother’s side of the family. He found out he had it when he was 25 and was being checked to see if he could donate a kidney to his mom.

He’s been having more trouble in recent months and was just approved for a new kidney. He is now on the national transplant list, but may also have a live donor lined up.

“I’ve been really making sure that I’m communicating with my wife and my family, and it’s just the right time to kind of look at a way to step back a little bit and focus on my health,” he said.

Loree said about 600,000 people nationwide have this form of kidney disease and it accounts for about 5% of all kidney failure.

Without a transplant, he will eventually need dialysis. Right now, his kidney function has dropped to about 20%.

“I’m gonna have to do something,” he said. “I’m having more bad days than good. I’m usually in bad shape in the mornings, and unfortunately, it’s happening more often than not.”

Along with regular duties as administrator, Loree is also Boardman’s representative for the ABC Stormwater District. He has led Boardman through the process of applying for and obtaining a $47 million FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant that will overhaul the floodplain and drainage problems plaguing the center of the township along the Cranberry Run watershed around Boardman Plaza.

Loree also has overseen the construction of the new Forest Lawn Stormwater Park at the site of the former Market Street School. That project — supported by $4 million in external grants — is part of the township’s larger effort to mitigate the flooding from Cranberry Run and other areas. The park will open 10:30 a.m. Oct. 29 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Trustees on Tuesday complimented Loree for his work and expressed their support for him.

“When I got here 18 years ago, you were the one sane thing in this building, and the work that you’ve done and the knowledge that you have … I just think this is an opportunity for us to say first and foremost that our thoughts and prayers are with you, and whatever’s best for you,” said Trustee Larry Moliterno. “What you’ve done for this township, to support the work that we do and the vision we have — certainly, the stormwater projects could not have been done without you. And your impact is going to be felt for a long time, for generations, because of the work that you’ve done. And we love you.”

“You are part of our family, and I mean beyond Boardman Township,” said Trustee Tom Costello. “You have supported and helped us in so many ways, all of us, and it’s now our turn to do whatever we can to help you and your family.”