I23 -- June 2008 -- Wife Donates Kidney

Intro: At any given time, up to 60-thousand people are waiting for kidney transplants. But unfortunately, there are not enough donor organs to meet that demand. That's where living-donor kidney transplantation can make a big difference. More on what it means to be a living donor from a couple who went through the process at Mayo Clinic.

31 YEARS AGO SCOTT JABLONOW LEARNED THAT LIFE CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANT. FOR HIM IT HAPPENED AT A CAR WASH.

"THE OWNER OF THE CAR WASH WAS PULLING A CAR OFF THE LINE AND LOST CONTROL AND HIT ME IN THE BACK. I LOST MY LEFT KIDNEY."

AND DAMAGED HIS OTHER ONE. SCOTT SPENT WEEKS IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AND THEN ON KIDNEY DIALYSIS.

"WHEN I WAS AN OUTPATIENT ON DIALYSIS, THAT' S WHEN I MET ELLEN."

"I WALKED INTO THE ROOM AND SCOTT WAS HOOKED UP ON KIDNEY DIALYSIS AND FIRST LOOK — I FELL MADLY IN LOVE."

SCOTT AND ELLEN HAVE BEEN TOGETHER 30 YEARS. AND MOST OF THAT TIME SCOTT'S KIDNEY FUNCTIONED WELL AND DID NOT NEED DIALYSIS. BUT RECENTLY IT BEGAN TO FAIL. HIS OPTIONS? GO BACK ON DIALYSIS OR UNDERGO A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT.

"I SAID LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FIND A LIVE DONOR."

RECEIVING A KIDNEY FROM A LIVE DONOR HAS MANY BENEFITS. FOR EXAMPLE, LIVE-DONOR KIDNEYS MAY FUNCTION BETTER AND LAST LONGER THAN DECEASED DONOR KIDNEYS. BUT IN ORDER TO BE A DONOR, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH MANY TESTS STARTING WITH BLOOD TESTS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE A MATCH.

"THEN THE DONOR WOULD BE INVITED TO GO THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION"

DR. MAREK MAZUR SAYS THE EVALUATION INCLUDES MEDICAL, SURGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS TO BE SURE YOU ARE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO DONATE. LIKE ANY OTHER SURGERY, IT TAKES TIME TO RECOVER. AS ELLEN KNOWS ALL TOO WELL.

"DEAR ELLEN VOLUNTEERED TO GIVE ME HER KIDNEY."

"IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING TO GIVE SCOTT THIS GIFT AFTER 30 YEARS."

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.





Anchor tag: You might wonder if it's dangerous to donate a kidney. Dr. Mazur says if the donors go through proper testing and are considered healthy enough to donate, they should live a normal life with their one remaining kidney.

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