Match found: Commission chair to get kidneyBy Hayes Hickman
Originally published 02:43 p.m., March 12, 2009
Updated 02:43 p.m., March 12, 2009
KNOXVILLE - After 15 months of prayers and waiting, Knox County Commission Chairman Thomas "Tank" Strickland received word today that a match has been found for his needed kidney transplant.
"I feel ecstatic," said Strickland, who noted that the good news came on, of all days, World Kidney Day. "I just want to live a normal life."
Strickland said the donor surgery now is scheduled for March 27. His donor is a fellow church member who he only recently met at a church function.
"She said, 'I'll give you one of my kidneys,' and she followed through," Strickland explained. "Just a wonderful person."
Strickland announced the news at a press conference for the National Kidney Foundation in East Tennessee's Kidney Walk and fundraiser set for this weekend, at which he'll serve as honorary chairman.
Over the past 15 months, Strickland has received dialysis treatments three times a week, each requiring a 3.5-hour session. The commissioner also was required to lose 58 pounds and keep a strict diet, although he's lost a total of 90 pounds so far, he said. Strickland also has battled dialysis-related illnesses, including a eight-day hospital stay in December to recover from pneumonia.
One more test still is required before surgery to double-check that his donor is, in fact, a match, he said.
"A lot of people have been praying for me," Strickland said. "And I want them to continue to pray that everything turns out OK, for me and her, too."
More details as they develop online and in Friday's News Sentinel.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/12/match-found-commission-chair-get-kidney/
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