Walk a Mile in My Shoes Wednesday: Organ Donation/Transplants

Last week I told you I have two friends who have been with me since before kindergarten. You met Amber last week (the amazing artist who etches monuments) and this week I'd like to introduce you to Pat! Story hour friendships run deep, and Pat and I are proof of that!

Actually, I'm just really really grateful to still have Pat here as part of my life, because he has had quite a go of it with his health, starting at a very early age. Pat has received not just one, but two kidney transplants in his life, and as a result, he is (obviously) very passionate about educating others on organ donation.

While one of my WBCL co-workers was a kidney donor (before I went to work there), Pat is the only person I know who has received an organ transplant, and I asked if he'd share with us not just his own experiences, but why we should consider (and not be afraid of) organ donation!

Pat is 40 years old (and I'm not far behind him, so that is not old) and had his first transplant in November of 1989 when we were sixth graders. That kidney came from a living donor, which as you know, is not possible for all organ transplants. (People kind of need to hang onto their hearts for the long haul.) Pat's dad was actually his first donor!

He did really well after that transplant, but over time, the kidney began to stop functioning, so in January of 2016, he had a second kidney transplant. This transplant came to him a bit differently. Many people were tested to see if they were a match (Ryan even went through the testing process to see if he could donate to Pat!) and the answer came through Pat's sister's father-in-law. He actually was not a match for Pat, but he donated his kidney to a complete stranger, who was on a waiting list somewhere else, and that donation made Pat eligible to receive a kidney from an altruistic donor (a.k.a. kind, anonymous soul) elsewhere. I didn't even know those kinds of options existed!

Here are two pictures Pat sent...one from each transplant. I think you can tell which came from which year. :)

Here are some things Pat would love for people to know about transplants/organ donation. (Some are unique to kidney transplants and/or his particular situation.)

1. Yes, he had major surgery, but once he recovered, he looked just like everyone else.

When people see Pat walking around living life, they see no obvious signs that he's been through a major surgical procedure. He acknowledges that he has been very fortunate, because many organ transplant recipients actually do face day-to-day life-impacting issues. Of course, he does have to take medications every day, at very specific times of the day, and that is vital to maintaining a healthy kidney. He knows the gift he's been given at this new chapter of life and is meticulous about doing everything he can to keep it good and healthy for many years to come. Even so, he can do almost anything a normal person can do, except play contact sports. (He wanted you to know that was solely responsible for derailing the pro football career of his 5'4"/135 pound self! Ha!)

2. Care goes far beyond surgery day. 

You might think that an organ transplant recipient goes into the hospital, undergoes the operation, recovers, and other than taking the anti-rejection meds, they don't need to do anything else! Pat did note that modern medicine made some significant advances in the quarter of a century that passed between his two transplants. The first time, he stayed in the hospital for a whole month after surgery. The second time, they kept him two and a half days! Wow!

Once released the second time, though, he went home and took it easy while he recovered. In the early stages, he went twice a week for routine blood work to make sure everything was progressing nicely, and he had clinic visits, where he saw his doctor. Once he began to stabilize, his visits became less frequent. Pat's 2 year transplantversary is coming up in January, and currently he travels about an hour away to a larger hospital every three months for a checkup and every month and a half, he has blood work done locally.

3. Fun fact: his kidneys have a different home than yours do!

Just in case you don't know, your kidneys are located around your lower back...but Pat's kidneys are located in the front of his body! (That is the inspiration for the no contact sports rule.) In his case, the transplanted kidneys are on both sides of his belly button. He said people often think someone who receives a kidney transplant have their own failed kidneys removed and replaced with new ones, but such a procedure would create an incredible amount of stress on the body. (He said that may not be every single transplant recipient's story, but it's still a common truth.) Another fun fact: Pat has four kidneys! His original, failing kidneys were never removed, but he's been told since they were actually shrinking, they're probably actually no longer in existence today.

4. There are transplant options for those in need!

Pat said if your loved one is in a situation where a kidney is needed and everyone has been tested, but no matches have been found, don't despair! There are other options! He said he has been incredibly fortunate, because when he was in need of a kidney back in 1989, his entire family was tested and matched, and they just had to choose who would become the donor. The second time he needed a kidney, several were tested, and his sister's father-in-law was actually a match until the very last step of the process. That's where the alternative plan came into play, and it didn't even exist back in 1989!

Pat sat down with pre-transplant coordinators and discussed an option called paired donation. On this list, Pat's donor's kidney went to Person A on the list, and Person A's donor kidney went to Pat. What a blessing! Two months after Pat was placed on the donor list, he got the call that he was matched!

5. Organ donation is KEY!

Obviously, Pat is very passionate about organ donation since he's received a fresh start in life twice from those willing to donate. He is a transplant live organ donation advocate and knows firsthand how important it is for people to make the decision to become a donor. He says there are many misconceptions about live organ donation, and he wants to make sure people investigate the information they receive to learn what's true and what is just a myth. (For example: some might tell you that if you are an organ donor and you have a medical emergency, you won't receive extensive care from ambulance personnel. Not true!)

If you aren't registered as an organ donor, you can update that the next time you renew your driver's license. Just mark that you want to be an organ donor and then make sure your family members know your wishes!


I know it's a big and scary thing to consider (I know because I was prepared to be tested to see if I matched Pat, too, and it was really overwhelming to me at first!) but what an incredible gift you can offer if you're willing to consider organ donation! I'm so glad Pat's donors were willing to give sacrificially so he can be here and healthy today!

(One more picture: Pat with his favorite nurse and his sister's father-in-law!) 


To catch up on other "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" posts, look here!

Linking up with Tamar!