Labors of Love
Consider Organ Donation
Donation is the gift of life
Asa Keimig is truly blessed. Keimig, 14, Parkton, Maryland, received a kidney from a living donor rather
than being placed on the national waiting list for organ donation.
Wayne Holle, a financial associate with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, stepped forward to help
Keimig after hearing of his need at their church, Redeemer Lutheran in Parkton.
To illustrate how a big a blessing this is—as of July 1, nearly 89,000 people were on the organ donation
waiting list, according to the U.S. Government Web site for organ and tissue donation and transplantation,
www.organdonor.gov. More than 62,000 of them were
waiting for a kidney.
According to the Web site, about 74 people receive an organ transplant each day. However, 17
people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs.
The real need is for donors. In Holle’s case, he felt called to help Keimig.
“God put me in the right place at the right time,” Holle said. “The thought first crossed my mind
in church. I thought about it for about a week and then e-mailed Asa’s mom.”
Once Holle made up his mind, a nearly three-month process began to determine if he could donate his kidney.
According to The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, living donors must be physically fit,
in good general health, and free from high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease.
Individuals considered for living donation are usually between 18 to 60 years of age.
The living donor must first undergo a blood test to determine blood type compatibility with the recipient.
If the donor and recipient have compatible blood types, the donor undergoes a medical history review and a
complete physical examination. The following tests may be performed: tissue typing (the donor's blood is
drawn for tissue typing of the white blood cells), crossmatching (a blood test to see if the potential
recipient will react to the donor organ), antibody screen, urine tests (to assess the donor's kidney function),
X-rays (to screen the donor for heart and lung disease), arteriogram (to view the organ to be donated)
and psychiatric and/or psychological evaluation.
The decision to become a living donor is a voluntary one, and the donor may change his or her mind at any time.
In addition to kidneys, many different types of organs can be delivered by living donors, including,
portions of the liver, lung, pancreas and intestine and even the heart in the event of a domino transplant
that makes some heart-lung recipients living heart donors.
Once a match is determined and all testing is done, the transplant can take place.
“This all started for me near the end of November,” Holle said. “I just kept going through the testing and
never got kicked out. It was quite a while before I knew I was a match. It’s not a quick process.”
Holle and Keimig had their operations done at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
The most common living donor procedure involves the kidney. Typically, the donor is admitted to the hospital
the day prior to operation. The anesthesiologist and the transplant team meet with the donor to explain
the surgical procedure. Laboratory tests, blood work, a chest X-ray and an EKG may be performed again to
verify the donor’s health status. Shortly before the operation, an intravenous line is connected for
medications and fluids. The recipient’s transplant operation follows the donor’s operation.
The donor spends several hours in the recovery room. Within hours, the donor is encouraged to get out of bed
and walk around. The donor may begin eating and drinking again after recovery of bowel function.
After five to eight days, the donor can return home. A post-operative check-up follows in two to four weeks.
The donor is encouraged not to attempt any heavy lifting or rough contact sports until at least six weeks
after the operation. If no complications arise, the donor may return to work four weeks after surgery.
There are two procedures to recover a kidney—the more traditional procedure involves a surgical incision
around the donor’s lower back and side. In recent years, laparoscopy has been used to recover kidneys from
the donor’s abdomen. (In laparoscopy, surgical instruments are inserted into the body through a series of
small incisions.) Laparoscopy involves a smaller incision and a potentially shorter recovery time for the donor.
In Holle’s case, his kidney was taken by laparoscopy, which allowed him to spend only a few days in the hospital.
He was able to return to work after about six weeks of recovery.
“I had a few days of pain and discomfort for a few weeks,” Holle said. “I had never had surgery before,
you have to remember that you just went through major surgery, and take it easy.”
Holle has no regrets, “For me as a donor, my remaining kidney will grow to 80 percent of the second kidney, and
there really aren’t long-term effects. Just seeing how well Asa is doing is all the confirmation I need.”
— Tara Perre
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Consider Organ Donation
Any adult can indicate their intent to donate and save lives. Follow these simple steps from www.organdonor.gov:
- Indicate your intent to be an organ and tissue donor on your driver’s license.
- Carry an organ donor card.
- Most important, discuss your decision with family members and loved ones.
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