Patient Stories

Families Pay Forward the Gift of Life in Emory’s Paired Exchange Program

May 2nd, 2012 By Emory Transplant Center

Paired Exchange Tiffany Prevo Mark VillantiAs a personal trainer and general manager of Workout Anytime in Decatur, GA, Mark Villanti believes being healthy and living life to the fullest is a top priority. Fitness is Mark’s passion and he especially enjoys running ultra-marathons and helping his clients get into shape. One day, a client of Mark’s mentioned that her husband was in need of a kidney transplant and that neither she nor any other loved one was a match. Mark got to thinking, ‘what if I became a donor?’ Coincidentally, back in college as a Sports Science major, Mark conducted research on renal failure and gained a keen understanding of what physical limitations a person on dialysis experiences – being tied to a dialysis machines for hours at a time, multiple times during the week. When his client mentioned her husband’s need for a kidney, in some way Mark felt it was a spiritual message.

“I have always loved to help and protect people; my wife would say that I am a very giving person. Being a combat veteran of the US Marine Corp and the US Army, serving in the Iraq war, and losing both parents in the past 5 years made me realize how important life and living is.”’

Knowing what a dialysis patient is up against on a daily basis and thinking about his client’s husband’s need, Mark began the matching process and was approved to be a donor. But while in the process, Mark’s client’s husband received a kidney from another donor. Instead of returning back to his daily life and forgetting the notion of donating, Mark decided to continue the process to become an altruistic donor.

When he was contacted by Emory informing him they found a matching patient candidate, Mark learned only that she was a woman in her 30s needing a kidney and that she was a part of the Paired Exchange Program through the Emory Transplant Center. This program was established to help pay forward the gift of donating life, meaning that when Mark donated his kidney to the recipient, the recipient’s loved one would then donate their kidney to another person in need since there was not a compatible blood match. In a paired exchanged donation, a donor and recipient are matched with another incompatible donor and recipient pair, and the kidneys are exchanged.

Mark’s recipient Tiffany Prevo, wife and mother of three daughters (a 9 yr old and 5 yr old twins), was diagnosed with Lupus in 2008, which led to her end stage renal failure. Tiffany’s doctor told her that she would either need dialysis treatment for the remainder of her life, or that a kidney transplant was an option. Tiffany decided to be placed on the transplant waiting list. While waiting, Tiffany underwent peritoneal dialysis which tied her to a machine for eight hours every day.

“The dialysis treatments made me very emotional. I was up and down and just borderline depressed. I wanted a transplant right away – I couldn’t work and worse of all, I couldn’t do things with my daughters.”

Jemel, Tiffany’s husband, and other members of her family went through the matching process but were not eligible. Jemel immediately offered to be a part of the paired exchange program to accelerate Tiffany’s chance of receiving a kidney. Tiffany waited 18 months before she received the call from Emory stating they found Mark, her donor match.

On the day of transplant, Tiffany felt calm, asking herself, “Is this really happening?”. As Mark went in to have his kidney removed, he was not afraid at all. As a matter of fact, he felt excitement and was “ready to get this done to help this woman.” And finally there was Jemel, who also had surgery on that same day to donate to a child that he has never met.

All surgeries were successful. As Mark was recovering from his surgery at Emory University Hospital, he was up walking the halls as requested by his doctor, Dr. Nicole Turgeon. “As I walked past a room in the hall, I looked in and saw a woman. She looked back at me and we both thought, could this be the person?” As a matter of fact, Jemel and Mark were recovering in patient rooms right next to one another, and by chance a meeting of the three occurred. There were many smiles, hugs and tears of joy. Mark knew he had given the gift of live.
With words of wisdom to others who may be considering becoming a living donor, Mark says, “With anything else you have to look at the pros and the cons; in my case there were no cons. I knew I could live with just one kidney so I went for it. Life is a gift God has given us.”

Tiffany is very thankful to Mark stating, “I’ve never met such an amazing kind hearted man in person. You see it on TV or hear about it on the news but I never thought it would happen to me – I’m really grateful to Mark”. As for her husband, “Well he’s my hero. Without him all this wouldn’t have been possible – he’s amazing too.”
Two weeks post surgery, Mark was already back to one of his favorite pastime’s, running on the trails. Fast forward two months later to today, and Mark is training for another ultra marathon in September, where he will run 35 miles. He is back to his normal day to day activity and feeling great.

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Donate Life Month “Thank You” from Joe Persichetti

April 19th, 2012 By Joe Persichetti

Joe Persichetti transplant patient
Dear Donor Family,

It has been eight years since my life saving heart transplant, and once again, I want to thank my donor and donor family for the gift of life.

I suffered my first of three heart attacks at age 40, and for eighteen years I struggled with heart disease. At age 58 my heart was failing and I was told that I would need a heart transplant to live. I was put on the on the transplant list and waited at home for four months. Waiting and not knowing if the call would come in time. At that point I did the only thing I knew how to do, pray.

When the call did come that there was a heart for me, all I could think about was that someone I never met was going to save my life.

I never imagined that I would enjoy this quality of life. I am using my new life to bring awareness to the importance of organ donation, and mentoring others who are waiting for a life saving transplant. I am determined to give back and celebrate life in honor of my donor.

My family and I are always thankful for each day we have together. I am playing golf and enjoying life to its fullest. I truly must say that my greatest joy is the time I spend with my seven grandchildren. As I hold them close to me I am grateful I have the chance to watch them grow. They are the joy of my life and I am truly blessed.

As always your family and my donor are in my heart and daily prayers forever.

There is no greater gift then the gift of life you shared with me.

Sincerely,
Joe

 

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Donate Life Month “Thank You” Message from Terri Lynne

April 9th, 2012 By Emory Transplant Center

Terri Lynne

“My donor was an 11 year old girl from Arkansas; that is all I know of her but not a day has ever gone by that I haven’t thought of her. Words will never begin to explain enough what has been given to me.


I believe I was given more than just a liver; I have her legacy. Even if I don’t know her name, her existence and memory is alive in me. My liver isn’t just an organ to me; it is a part of her.”

 

You can share Terri’s story here.

If you haven’t signed up to become a donor yet and are needing more information, please visit Donate Life.

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Celebrating the Gift of Life – Donate Life Month

April 2nd, 2012 By Morgan Griffith

Since 2003, April has served as National Donate Life Month and provided the health and transplant communities with an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help support and raise awareness around organ donation and celebrate those who have given the gift of life to others by donating. We’ve seen some amazing gifts of generosity here at Emory since National Donate Life Month last year, and in honor of the month, we’d like to celebrate those members of our community who have truly given of themselves in an effort to save the lives of others.

Pamela Emory Employee Living Donor

Pamela Lesane

We kicked off Donate Life Month last year with the help of Pamela Lesane, an Emory Healthcare employee and now patient, after making a very generous gift to her own sister. After beginning her career with Emory Healthcare in Guest Services, Pamela came into contact with a transplant coordinator who asked her if her sister, who had suffered from kidney disease all her life, had ever been evaluated for a transplant. She had not, so Pamela helped her push forward in getting evaluated and her sister was placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. It turned out Pamela would be a match for her sister’s transplant, and the rest is history. You can read more on Pamela’s story here.

Shortly after Pamela was able to help bring renewed life to her sister via organ donation, six lives at Emory were saved by as a result of a selfless donation from one man, Jon Pomenville, from Anderson, South Carolina. Imagine waking up one morning in good health and deciding out of the goodness of your heart to donate your kidney to someone you didn’t even know – anyone, anywhere. That’s exactly what Jon did and he wasn’t looking for credit. In fact he was completely comfortable with remaining anonymous throughout the process. But during a follow-up visit to Emory University Hospital, Jon met many of the individuals whose lives he helped change – right there in the transplant clinic waiting room. Jon and four of the other donors and recipients in what is referred to as a paired kidney transplant were coincidentally scheduled for follow-up appointments within a short period of time of one another. It was only a matter of minutes before the patients – recipients and donors – two father and son combinations and Jon, the man who would give to anyone – were hugging, shaking hands, and recounting their lives and experiences. As one person began recounting the experience, eyes and ears began to focus on the tale being told from across a crowded room. Share Jon’s story.

Lester Crowell

Lester Crowell

Many of our transplant community members are recipients of organ donations themselves and have opted to find ways to give back to others in need. Lester Crowell, is a fantastic example of an Emory Transplant patient who took giving back to a whole new level. Lester is a two-time recipient of a donated heart, and as a heart transplant patient, he shared the love in a major way by holding an event to help raise awareness and over $30,000 for the Georgia Transplant Foundation. Check out Lester’s story in this video and blog post.

Kevin Jordan Wake Forest Kidney Transplant at Emory

Coach Tom Walter & Kevin Jordan

We’ve seen family members give to family members, anonymous givers donate life to change the lives of others, and a transplant patient who gave back to the community, but one story, that of Kevin Jordan and Coach Tom Walter of Wake Forest University was an especially touching one for us here at Emory. In February of 2011, we shared Part I of their story. To bring you up to speed, Kevin was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis, an autoimmune disorder that typically leads to almost immediate kidney failure. At the time, Kevin was an all-star baseball player being actively recruited by both Wake Forest University (WFU) and Auburn, but he was faced with an illness that could potentially change his future not only in baseball, but in life. Kevin opted to join the crew at Wake Forest, but as his condition worsened, it became clear to both Kevin and Coach Tom that something would need to be done. Kevin was in desperate need of a new kidney, and when neither his mother nor father met matching criteria to serve as a living donor, Coach Tom volunteered to be tested as a match. A match he was, and the story is pretty much a fairytale from there. Just months after joining the Wake Forest crew, Kevin and his coach would share a lifelong bond, making them family both on and off the field. In October of this year, just 7 months later, Kevin was able to return to practice at the sport he loves thanks to the generous gift of Coach Tom. Share their story here.

Clay Taber, Transplant Patient with Nurse Allison Batson

Clay Taber & Allison Batson

The giving back here at Emory continued when just a few months ago, our own transplant nurse, Allison Batson, gave of herself, literally, to 23-year-old patient, Clay Taber, who was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. “Immediately when Clay came onto our unit, he became a special patient that everyone just gravitated to,” said Allison Batson. “Here was this young man with everything in his life ahead of him, and he was fighting for his life. He quickly became friends of many of the staff, and really was just a tremendous inspiration to us all.” Allison continued to visit with Clay during his weeks at the hospital, and a deeper connection began to form than the typical nurse-patient bond. “She said ‘If you’ll let me do this, I want to donate my kidney to you,” Clay recalls. “Something at that point just hit me. There are so many people in need of an organ transplant and have been waiting like me – even longer than me in many cases. And here is Allison offering to do this amazing thing. When she said ‘If you’ll let me,’ there was just something in those words. I couldn’t say no.” Share Allison and Clay’s story here.

We are so grateful to the steps that have been taken by the Emory transplant community to celebrate and give the gift of life. Countless lives are changed at the Emory Transplant Center every year because of selfless gifts of those in our community. In honor of Donate Life Month, we will help to spotlight some of these very special stories in the weeks to come. If you have your own story to share, or just want to give thanks to those here who have given the gift of life, please use the comments section below.

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“Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me Had Better Start Running!”

February 29th, 2012 By Emory Transplant Center

Terri Lynne Transplant Patient & Dr. Dodson Transplant Surgeon

Terri Lynne giving her medal from the GA Transplant Games to her transplant surgeon, Dr. Dodson

Georgia native and Douglasville resident, Terri Lynne was born with a rare disease called Tyrosinemia, it is a genetic disorder characterized by elevated blood levels of the amino acid tyrosine, a building block of most proteins.  Terri’s disease caused her liver cancer that led to a liver transplant at the age of 13.   As a child, Terri had her transplant at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and was performed by Emory’s Dr. Thomas Dodson, who started the pediatric liver transplant program in 1990.  Terri was only the 8th pediatric liver transplant in Georgia.  It’s been 20 years since Terri’s transplant, and she feels it is important to give back to the transplant community. So much so, in fact, that when Terri visits the Emory Transplant Center for her own appointments, she frequently shares her story and answer questions for people who are just beginning their own transplant journey. It’s her mission to let others know that even after undergoing a transplant, there are no limitations in what they can do.  In Terri’s case, she set not a long-term goal, but rather a long distance goal, to participate in her first marathon after receiving her transplant.

In her first attempt in making strides towards her goal, Terri signed up to run in a 400 meter race at the GA Transplant Games- but she was unable to finish the race.  That’s when Terri made it her mission for the next year to run the whole thing. She began taking baby steps towards her long distance goal in 2006 when she says, “I ran the first mile ever in my life and I couldn’t stop.”

Terri chose the Marine Corps Marathon in 2007 as her ultimate test.   “The final push for me to sign up came when a fellow transplant friend dared me to do it.  He told me he would shave his head if I ran the whole thing. Given my transplant and medical history, I wasn’t sure if I could do it but I wanted to find out.”

Terri finished the marathon in 6 hours and 6 minutes.

Now, when Terri visits the Emory Transplant Center and passes the inspirational photos of transplant recipients that have always graced its wall, she has something to celebrate.  “One of them is of me; I am crossing the finish line of that marathon.  A Marine gave me my finish medal; I gave him a hug and started crying, I couldn’t believe it. Sometimes, I still don’t believe it.”

And despite her improved health, Terri continues to visit the Emory Transplant Center, both as a patient and an ad hoc advocate who is always willing to share her story and inspiration with other patients on her own visits.  “I have been going to Emory and Egleston since I was two years old; it is all I have ever known.  In the last three years I have had some issues with my liver and kidney numbers. It can be scary sometimes, but my coordinator Dianne [Dianne Thackston] has been very understanding, compassionate and has helped me deal with it. I wouldn’t trust my care to anyone but Emory!”, says Terri.

And in the true spirit of giving back in the way she was given to, Terri even donated one of her own medals from the GA Transplant Games to her surgeon, Dr. Dodson.  “I wanted to surprise him. I made him close his eyes, put the medal around his neck and said, ‘I won this for you’. It was a small way of saying thank you for saving my life and being able to do that made my day.”

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For Emory Transplant Patient, Laughter Really is the Best Medicine

December 15th, 2011 By Emory Transplant Center

David Duncan, Emory transplant patient

David Duncan

David Duncan has many reasons to be thankful this holiday season. He recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of his kidney and pancreas transplants, and both organs are functioning with no signs of rejection. He no longer needs debilitating dialysis treatments thanks to the kidney transplant and is free from the insulin he had to take from the time he was diagnosed with diabetes at age 12 to age 39, when his pancreas transplant cured his unstable disease. But he is most thankful to the donor family who gave him a second chance at life.

“My surgeons left me with something else, too—a funny bone,” he says, cracking one of his many jokes. David has made it his life’s work as a minister, telling humorous, inspirational stories to children, and as a motivational speaker for LifeLink with the motto, “Any day above ground is a good day.”

“I went into Emory for a kidney transplant, and there must have been a two-for-one sale. I ended up with a pancreas, too,” quips David, who is 54. “I have a brand new life. The transplants lifted me out of the grave.”

Before his transplants in 1996, he was in renal failure, on dialysis and at the point that his nephrologist in Macon said he might not survive much longer without a kidney transplant. He was on Emory’s waiting list for six months before receiving a donor kidney and pancreas “from a pre-teenage girl who gave me a second chance.”

He pauses and remembers the extraordinary gifts from his donor family, “My chair is filled, but the chair for that family is empty. But they changed my life and it’s my mission to give hope to children of all ages,” says David, who serves as a chaplain for homeless, orphaned abused or neglected children.

“David is the kind of guy you love to have around,” wrote a former colleague, Pastor Bob Price, in a letter about David to the ETC. “He just makes you feel better. If someone asks him how he is doing, he might say something like, ‘If I were any better, I’d be twins!’”

There are a couple of things that could’ve dampened David’s positive attitude: He’s also a double amputee. Complications from the diabetes had left him with foot ulcers and poor circulation in his legs, which led to the amputation of one leg six years ago and the other a year later.

David and his wife, Shirley, have three daughters and three grandsons. “I don’t allow them to take care of me. I have no limitations. I’m active, watch my weight and take care of my own health—I am intentional about my meds and my life’s purpose,” he continues. “Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.”

David writes notes each year at this time to his surgeons, Drs. Chris Larsen and Thomas Pearson, to thank them for their care. He also takes time to thank all the others at Emory who have cared for him over the years, from the front desk receptionists who are always so friendly, to the nurses, phlebotomists and doctors.

“It’s all about teamwork—they have no idea how inspiring they are,” he says. “We can’t take them for granted. Life is a gift, and it is up to each one of us to unwrap it and use it to serve others.”

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Transplant for Type 1 Diabetes? Julie Allred’s Story

November 22nd, 2011 By Emory Transplant Center

Julie Allred, Islet Transplant Patient

Julie Allred

When Julie Allred heard that Emory was exploring alternate treatment options for patients with “brittle” or unstable type 1 diabetes, she didn’t realize that she would be the first to receive her transplant via a minimally invasive transplant technique in the interventional radiology suite at Emory Hospital, instead of the operating room.

Julie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 10. She got her first insulin pump in 1992 and has used several different types of pumps over the years. Despite her efforts to carefully watch her diet and test regularly, she developed many problems over the past couple of years with unstable hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Living with hypoglycemia affected Julie’s ability to do many of things she enjoyed. She was constantly worried about how she could or would be affected by the unpredictable changes in her blood sugar, including being caught unaware at night while asleep. Julie was never free—day or night—from the worry of a condition called hypoglycemic unawareness, which unpredictably causes unconsciousness.

“I wanted to have the transplant because I’ve seen so many changes in the treatment of diabetic patients over the years, from the first glucometers to new medications,” Julie says. She was placed on Emory’s islet transplant wait list in early July and received the call eight days later while at her dentist’s office on July 19, which was “a record for the shortest wait,” she notes.

Julie lives several hours from Atlanta in the Charlotte, NC, suburb of Concord, where she has worked as a nurse for the past 20 years in obstetrics and pediatrics. Julie made the trip to Atlanta for her islet transplant at Emory, which was performed by Dr. Kevin Kim, director of interventional radiology and image guided medicine, and Dr. Nicole Turgeon, kidney, pancreas and islet transplant surgeon.

“Our protocol is designed to treat patients who have had type 1 diabetes for at least five years and have experienced severe hypoglycemic unawareness,” reports Dr. Turgeon. She is principal investigator of the study and collaborated with Dr. Kim for more than a year to develop Emory’s protocol.

“We’re able to perform this type of transplant because of Dr. Kim’s expertise in image guided treatment of liver tumors in the interventional radiology suite and Emory’s experience in islet transplantation and the development of new treatment regimens to protect transplant grafts from rejection,” she says.

According to Dr. Kim, “The interventional radiology procedure involves a small access. We thread guidewires and catheters and a central line through the patient’s right side into the portal vein, which leads into the liver. The entire system is through a less than a quarter inch skin access, and there are no stitches required—only a bandage on her skin. There is no general anesthesia required, and the entire procedure is performed under moderate sedation. In fact, we were talking to Julie during the entire procedure.” The fragile islets implanted in Julie’s liver serve to take over the job of making insulin.

Julie Allred with her daughter at Disneyland

Julie with her daughter at Disneyland.

The conventional islet transplant involves a two- or three-inch incision in the abdomen. This open surgical approach can be painful, whereas, Julie experienced no side effects and took only one pain pill following her less invasive transplant.

Julie has been able to gradually taper her insulin from about 50 units a day pre-transplant to 8 to 11 units a day four weeks post-transplant. She is now free from the unpredictable changes in her blood sugar and has had no hypoglycemia.

“My doctor told my mother when I was first diagnosed that I wouldn’t live to age 30 or be able to have children. But because of these advances, I’ve been able to prove him wrong twice,” Julie chuckles. Thanks to the procedure, Julie was able to happily celebrate her daughter Meredith’s 16th birthday at Disney World in January of this year, and turned 43 years old on July 23rd, two days after her transplant.

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A Mother-Daughter Transplant Story – Angie Dudley, Bakerella

October 31st, 2011 By Emory Transplant Center

There are many things a mother can pass along to her daughter, but it takes a unique generosity—not genes—for a mother to give her daughter a kidney. In June, Angie Dudley, owner of the blog, Bakerella, and creator of cake pops, received her second kidney transplant from none other than her own mother, Sandy Cunningham. Although this is not Angie’s first transplant experience, she says her mother has, from day one, offered to be her organ donor.

Transplant Patient Angie Dudley & Mother, Sandra Cunningham

Transplant patient, Angie Dudley, with her mother, Sandy Cunningham.

Angie was diagnosed with Focal Sclerosing Glomerulonephritis (FSGS) in April of 1991 after a routine doctor visit led to kidney biopsy. It was found to be heavily scarred, and by October, Angie was undergoing dialysis and on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.

“My mom was very proactive in trying to get on the [donor] list,” Angie said, but doctors suggested they wait for a kidney from a cadaver. “I didn’t want to make my mom go through that because they told me in half the cases of my disease, it reoccurs.”

After 10 months of continuing peritoneal dialysis—all while attending college and working part-time— Angie received her first kidney transplant at just 20 years old.

Dr. Christian Larsen, MD, PhD, performed both of Angie’s transplants. “I was so happy with what [Dr. Larsen] did,” Angie said. She was glad to see that the incisions from her first surgery healed with minimal scarring, which she attributed to Larsen’s thoughtfulness. But she didn’t expect that after nearly 19 years of health, Larsen would have to operate on her again.

Near the end of 2010, things took a turn when Angie’s symptoms resurfaced. Doctors determined she would likely need a second kidney transplant.

“I guess I really thought my kidney would last as long as I would,” Dudley said. “It was kind of overwhelming emotionally to think about losing it because it had been with me for so long. I didn’t want it to go bad not because I wouldn’t be willing to have another kidney, but there was a life sacrificed for that.”

Her mother had already begun emailing doctors again, seeking approval to be Angie’s organ donor. “This time [my mom] was adamant about being the donor,” Angie said. “I don’t think I could’ve stopped her if I wanted to.”

After taking various tests and retests, Sandy Cunningham finally received the news she’d been waiting for: She was approved be her daughter’s kidney donor. “That was just the most awesome day of my life,” Sandy said. “It still is.”

On June 14, both mother and daughter underwent surgery for the transplant. “I was most worried about my mom being the donor,” Angie said. “I didn’t want anything to happen to her.”

Angie’s mom, on the other hand, was confident. “While I might’ve been nervous, I pushed it all aside because that was the very best resource that we had,” she said. “We were doing the best thing we could do. Had I died doing that, it would have been fine. I truly feel that way, and I would do it again.” But her daughter objects, “I would go on dialysis again if there was any risk of that,” she insisted.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to walk for a few days, Angie insisted on seeing her mother right after the surgery. “[The staff] wanted to take me to my room, and I said, ‘No, wheel my bed into her room so I can see her.’”

Dr. Nicole Turgeon, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the Emory Clinic, operated on Angie’s mother and said Sandy couldn’t have had a better donor. “The bond that these two share was very striking,” she noted. “The love they have for each other is remarkable.”

Dr. Turgeon also commended Angie for her accomplishments as a baker. “[She] does some really neat things with Bakerella,” Turgeon said. “The fact that she can have kidney disease and still be so creative and contribute to society in such a way that you would never know she even had kidney disease is what was most striking to me.” Dudley began blogging in 2007, but her Bakerella site went viral after she posted pictures of her cake pops, an adorably enticing treat she concocted herself. Since then, her aptitude for creative baking has landed her on the Martha Stewart Show, as a judge in various baking competitions, and even on the red carpet at the Emmys, thanks to Duncan Hines.

Angie’s website, www.bakerella.com, receives almost three million page-views each month, and she also published a a New York Times best-selling book, appropriately titled Cake Pops, which will soon be available in four different languages.

Not surprisingly, her mother’s generous nature reflects in Angie’s work. “What turned into something for me has turned into something to give other people,” she stated.

“How much her mom was willing to promote and care for her…was probably a big part of why she was successful and had the ability to live a normal life despite having kidney disease,” Turgeon said of Angie. “I think that’s a tribute to her mom.”

And no matter how succsesful she becomes, Angie agrees that she will, first and foremost, always be her mother’s beloved daughter.

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Kevin Jordan Returns to WFU Baseball Practice After Kidney Transplant

October 5th, 2011 By Morgan Griffith

Kevin Jordan Wake Forest Kidney Transplant at EmoryIn February of this year, we shared with you a story of two amazing people, Kevin Jordan, a 19-year-old Wake Forest University baseball player, and his coach, Tom Walter, aka Coach Tom. To bring you up to speed, Kevin was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis, an autoimmune disorder that typically leads to almost immediate kidney failure. At the time, Kevin was an all-star baseball player being actively recruited by both Wake Forest University (WFU) and Auburn, but he was faced with an illness that could potentially change his future not only in baseball, but in life. Kevin opted to join the crew at Wake Forest, but as his condition worsened, it became clear to both Kevin and Coach Tom that something would need to be done.

Kevin was in desperate need of a new kidney, and when neither his mother nor father met matching criteria to serve as a living donor, Coach Tom volunteered to be tested as a match. A match he was, and the story is pretty much a fairytale from there. Just months after joining the Wake Forest crew, Kevin and his coach would share a lifelong bond, making them family both on and off the field.

Kevin and Coach Tom came to Emory for the living donor kidney transplant, where transplant surgeons Dr. Kenneth Newell and Dr. Allan Kirk performed the procedure that not only gave Kevin renewed hope in life, but renewed hope that he would indeed return to the baseball diamond.

Fast forward seven and a half months later to today, Kevin is back and in good health, and the outfielder just attended the first Wake Forest Fall baseball practice of the year. Kevin’s recovery was not the only thing that’s proven to be speedy. Kevin ran the 60 yard dash in just 6.5 seconds, proving he has regained his health, strength, and speed. Kevin’s journey has struck a chord with people around the country, including those in the transplant community and sports communities. ESPN film crews attended the first WFU baseball practice of the year to share his progress with the country.

Our own Emory family members, particularly those who helped facilitate the kidney transplant from Coach Tom to Kevin have been equally touched and inspired by the story. “Kevin is a remarkable human being. And I think that’s one of the centerpieces of this story,” Dr. Allan Kirk, one of Kevin’s transplant surgeons said at the post-transplant press conference back in February. His recovery since that day has been equally as inspiring and remarkable, “when Kevin came to us, he was in bad shape, but he never lost hope. What he went through could have very easily derailed his plans. He’s a fighter. Coach Tom saw that in him, and so did we. Both myself and Dr. Newell have been touched to play a part in helping Kevin return to the sport that he loves, and in bringing a coach, player, team and community together to rally around someone who is truly a remarkably inspiring person. We’re very much looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes in the years to come,” remarks Dr. Kirk.

Read more on Kevin’s journey & his kidney transplant.

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Emory Heart Transplant Patient Shares the Love

August 22nd, 2011 By Emory Transplant Center

Lester Crowell

Lester Crowell

Not many people can say they’ve had multiple hearts in their lifetime, but one grateful Emory Transplant Center patient can and is now working to make it possible for others to say the same.

On Sunday, July 17, over 400 guests attended the first annual “Angels of Life” Hair and Fashion Show held by Three-13 Salon, Spa and Boutique of Marietta. The event raised over $31,000 for the Georgia Transplant Foundation and was planned by Lester Crowell, Emory patient and managing partner of Three-13 Salon, to help fellow transplant patients and to commemorate the salon’s 37th anniversary.

According to Crowell, Three-13 Salon has a strong history of philanthropic work, from donating to Ronald McDonald House to volunteering their time for the Cobb County School Systems. But after undergoing his second heart transplant, the business’s managing partner decided he ought to focus on something very close to home: transplant patients.

“It was fantastic for our first event,” Crowell said. “I think we raised a lot of awareness about transplants and organ donations.”

The event took place at the Cobb Energy Centre and consisted of a silent auction followed by a hair and fashion theatrical show featuring products sold by Three-13 Salon. Several transplant patients shared their testimony of how their lives were changed through organ donors. Both Dr. Andrew Smith, MD, Clinical Chief of Cardiology for Emory University Hospital, and Dr. David Vega, MD, director of Emory’s Heart Transplant Program, spoke on stage in support of Crowell, their patient, and his cause.

For Crowell, his own journey towards a heart transplant began when he was 13. What started as recurring chest pains grew into an illness called Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis (IHSS) with serious consequences. He began seeing doctors at Emory University Hospital when he was 19 and was told he had a runaway heart.

“My heart would speed up for no reason. It was a congenital defect,” Crowell said. Several family members have struggled with the disease, but not all have opted for heart transplants.

“I thought it was sort of a good thing I didn’t have to dress up for PE anymore,” Crowell said. “I didn’t have to run the laps…that’s all I thought about.” But his condition continued to worsen.

“If I didn’t eat anything, I wouldn’t have chest pains. I got very used to not eating all day long until the end of the day,” he explained. Doctors told him he had cardiomyopathy when he was in his 30’s. At age 40, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

“By the time I was 43, I couldn’t talk and breathe at the same time. That’s when I got my first transplant,” Crowell said.
Nine years later, his transplanted heart developed chronic rejection, a common occurrence in transplanted organs. After waiting almost a year for another heart, Crowell underwent a second transplant on December 4, 2010. This time around, he was more prepared.

“I knew what to expect, so it sort of seemed easier,” Crowell said. Since receiving his third heart, life has continued as usual. “I’m not in fear of having a heart attack every day,” he said. “I’m living a normal life.”

The two-time transplant patient said he was fortunate to have insurance to help pay for his transplants and treatment, but he knows that this is not the case for everyone. Through Three-13’s annual “Angels of Life” Hair & Fashion Show, Crowell hopes to continue gathering donations for the Georgia Transplant Foundation so the charity can continue to help others obtain a second or, like Crowell’s case, a third chance at life.

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