December
1999
Gatortales From
the Physical Plant Division of the University of A Resolution To Save A Life
This past summer, Bob Estling received a kidney transplant and the opportunity to continue living a normal, healthy life. Bob's wife Janet made the transplant possible by become a "live donor" and donating one of her kidneys to her husband. Bob required the operation because his kidneys suffered from Polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Twenty- five years ago Bob became very ill, and while treating his illness, doctors diagnosed him with PKD. PKD is a genetic disease that has a 50% chance of being passed on to children. Bob had inherited the disease from his mother. The end result of PKD is that the kidneys eventually fail. When he was first diagnosed, Bob was told that his kidneys would probably continue functioning normally for 15 years. This past summer, Bob's kidney function went below 10 percent. In order to continue living, he needed to begin dialysis or receive a kidney transplant. The dialysis must be done 2-3 times a week for six hours each treatment and is not as healthy as receiving a transplant. A recent study found that individuals who receive kidney transplants live an aver- age of 10 years longer than similar patients who continue on dialysis. However, there are currently 43,600 Americans waiting to receive kidney transplants. The typical wait time to receive a properly matched kidney is two years or longer. The majority of the kidneys come from individuals who have passed away and have agreed to donate their organs.
Janet Estling's live kidney donation to her husband, Bob, has ensured many happy holidays together for years to come.
Recently, a better option has become available. Advances in surgical procedures make it possible for persons to donate kidneys while they are still living. The most recent studies estimate that up to one third of transplant recipients, over the next year, will receive live kidneys. Not only are matching "live kidneys" easier to find, they also perform longer after transplants. A live kidney has an average life of 20 years after transplant, whereas a kidney removed from a cadaver has an average life of 8-9 years after transplant.
Bob's wife, Janet, has blood type O. Thus, she is a universal donor. This meant she was a possible candidate for donating a kidney to her husband. Further compatibility tests were performed and it was decided she could donate. On August 20th, the kidney transplant operation took place. Two weeks later, Bob's body was adjusting to its new kidney and Janet had already returned to work as a hospice social worker.
A few years ago, the live transplant and Janet's rapid recovery would not have been possible. Both, Janet and Bob, would have received a 12 to 15 inch incision to allow for the removal and addition of the kidney. Recovery time for the donor would typically be 8-12 weeks, during which time they would have very limited activity and not be able to work. For many people who would consider donating a live kidney, that sort of disruption to their lives is not possible. Fortunately, a better procedure has been developed in the past few years which allows the donor to receive minimally invasive surgery. Instead of a single large incision, doctors make three incisions. Two of the incisions are less than 3/4 inch. The third incision is a little more than 2 inches. Surgeons insert a video camera and a laser into the smaller holes. They use the video camera as their eyes and the laser to do the surgical cutting. The kidney is then removed from the donor's body via the two inch incision. This type of surgery requires very little recovery time. There have been many cases where the donor is back at work in a week, but typical recovery time is 2 weeks. The donors experience very little risk and pain with this procedure. Since the surgery, Janet has not experienced any side effects or complications. Bob has recovered fully and is thankful every day for the gift of life his wife gave him. Bob also realizes that without organ donation, none of this would be possible. Due to the tremendous impact an organ donor can have on someone's life, Bob believes that every one should at least have the organ donor designation on their drivers license. The designation costs nothing and is put on your drivers license at your request. In the event that you die, hospital officials would know that your healthy organs could be used to save another person's life.
Following
a kidney transplant, the recipient has three kidneys. Only the
transplanted kidney functions. Doctor's do not normally remove the non-
functional kidneys.Individuals can also be live organ donors. The most typical type of live organ donation is the kidney. Humans only require one kidney to live normally. In fact, one out of every 750 persons is born with only one kidney. Live kidneys have fewer incidents of being rejected and function longer inside the recipient. With the advent of the new surgical procedure, individuals can donate a live kidney without fear of long recovery or surgery complications. Of course, it costs nothing to donate a live organ.
If you want to make a New Year / New Millennium resolution that can save a life,
become an organ donor. There are three options you can pursue: 1) Fill out the
organ donor registration form and send it in. 2) The next time you have your
drivers license renewed, ask to have the "Organ Donor" designation
added to your license. 3) Contact the Organ Procurement Organization at the