Kidney Mama

David Keiser became ill 12 years ago and thought he might just have a bug.

“My body was out of whack, I thought I had the flu,” said Keiser.

It wasn’t the flu; David’s kidneys were failing and he needed a kidney transplant. He and his wife, Diane, had taken their chew-happy pup Bo to a trainer named Sam Kabbel. When Sam heard that Bo’s daddy needed a kidney transplant, she wanted to help.

“I’ve called her a saint, I’ve called her our savior, I’ve called her superwoman. Words can’t describe what you feel like when someone offers to save your husband’s life,” said Diane.

“How do you thank someone like that other than just taking care of the kidney, living a long happy life,” said Keiser.

Twelve years later, both of Sam’s kidneys are going strong, in two locations, and Bo has resolved his chewing issues, too. Congrats to all.

Oncology nurse Kristy Hill loved the way Pedro Rivera, a phlebotomist at her hospital, took time to make her patients feel better. When she found out that he needed a kidney transplant, she wanted to be tested.

“I saw Pedro as someone who was a blessing to the people around him,” she said. “I want to help him live a longer, happier life.”

Pedro was pretty surprised.

“I thought she was crazy,” Rivera recalled. “But I could tell by her face she was very serious.”

Their transplant took place earlier this week. Congrats to both!

Sue Cumberland was happy to be tested as a potential living kidney donor when she heard that family friend Tom Winlow was in need of a kidney transplant.

“I know Tom’s parents would have come forward if they’d been in a position to do so.

“But as a mother of three myself, I thought if it were one of my children I’d be hoping someone would come forward.”

Tom is, as you might imagine, appreciative.

“I can’t put into words how I feel about it. There is nothing I could say or do that would even come close.

“This transplant operation is going to give me so much freedom.”

Good luck to both families for a successful kidney transplant!

When fellow Moose Steve Bricker needed a kidney transplant John Winters antlered up and offered to be a living kidney donor.

“It all started out as a joke,” Winters said. “I brought up that I was O positive, and Steve’s wife said he needed an O positive donor. I said, ‘Test me,’ but I never thought I would be a match.”

Yeah, be careful what you joke about, because kidney matches are not that complicated.

“I was elated,” Bricker said. “They said the match was so good, we could have been brothers.”

The transplant happened in May, and Winters is back at work.

“I’m living proof that you can do it and still have a normal life,” he said. “I really haven’t changed a thing.”

Congrats!

A few years ago, New Zealander Karen Mills heard that the teacher in the classroom next door was facing kidney failure.

She did some research, talked to her family and offered to donate one of her kidneys.

“I couldn’t have children of my own and I felt this was my gift of life. It just sort of came at the right time for me.

“It felt like the right thing to do,” she says simply.

Ian says Karen never wavered in her determination, and he’s ever so grateful:

“How does a person say thank you?” Ian says. ”My incredible workmate has become my hero.”

When six-year-old Olivia Cook needed a kidney transplant, her mom’s fitness instructor, Danica Kilander, helped organize a fundraiser. Then she decided to provide the kidney, too. Why not?

“I couldn’t find a reason why not to. It seems like such a small thing to do to save a life,” she said. … “I’ve become a better person though this. I’ve become more of myself and certainly. I don’t think of it having less than who I am. I’ve doubled,” she said.

Olivia’s mom, Kimberly, is very thankful that Danica was willing to be a living kidney donor:

“We are so grateful we found Danica. I mean she’s part of our family now and it will always be that way. I mean we have. Olivia and I have such a special bond with her that will always be there.”

I’m a big fan of working every angle you’ve got if you need a kidney transplant.

Sarah Taylor, right here in Pittsburgh, decided to throw something up on Facebook to see what would happen. She got 197 people offering to be tested. The best match? Sarah Steelman, an old friend who lived just a couple of blocks away.

“She saw my posting on Facebook and she decided to donate a kidney,” Taylor said. “So she went down to Allegheny General and she ended up being my best match. The whole thing was so overwhelming.”

This article also includes the stories of Carlos Sanchez and John Burge, who found living kidney donors within minutes of posting a request on Facebook. Amazing.

Tricia Wadell knew what to do when she heard that her former teacher Greg Dagnan needed a kidney transplant because of polycystic kidney disease. She signed up to be a living kidney donor.

“I don’t know why everybody thinks this is such a big deal because it is saving a life,” Wadell says. “It is also someone who I respect, too.”

Dagnan says her generosity is about more than his health.

“For me she is saving my life, but the biggest gift she is giving to my family because I will be able to be around for them,” Dagnan says.

Their kidney transplant is scheduled for the end of July. Good luck, and hats off to you.

Blood drive coordinator Lori Gaitten was asked to put out flyers for Darby Bolyard, who needed a kidney transplant, at a blood drive she was coordinating. Hmm, thought Lori.

Lori immediately decided to try to donate a kidney to the 7-year-old herself.

“It was an immediate decision. I couldn’t imagine being in a more awful situation than knowing that your child needed help and that you couldn’t and had to just hope that someone would help,” Gaitten said. “I was the first one to fill out the paperwork and knew before anybody else, before the blood drive even had happened. I found out on New Year’s Eve 2008 and when I got that call, I cried. They were tears of happiness. I knew from the moment that I said I’d be tested that I’d be the one. It was supposed to be. I felt all along that I’d be the one.”

Darby chokes me up, too. At her tender age, she felt her mortality and began leaving handprints all over the walls at home so that no one could forget her.

After the surgery, her mom is hoping those handprints will scrub off, because Darby will be around for a long, long time.

Wasn’t I just saying that you have to work the Internet a little if you need a kidney transplant? Eli Powell found a living kidney donor using Facebook. One of his old friends from waaaaayyy back in the day saw that he needed a kidney transplant on Eli’s Facebook page and stepped up.

Paul Jones went to middle school with Eli.

“Figured he’s young, has a family, and I’d want someone to do that for me if I was in his position,” Paul said. “If we can both be healthy and survive, live long happy lives, I don’t see how I couldn’t do it.”

Needless to say, Eli is appreciative.

“It’s awesome. It’s nice to know people out there who are willing to help like that,” Eli said. “It’s gonna be a life changing experience for both of us, he literally is going to be part of me for the rest of my life.”