Donor and recipient to meet after surgery

Woman to donate kidney to Wayland man

By Rob Haneisen
Sunday, October 29, 2006

WAYLAND, MA -- Charnan Bray has yet to meet Gary Leonard but she’s willing to give up one of her kidneys to save the life of a man who has been surviving for nearly 37 years with his mother’s transplanted kidney.
Bray, 47, has gone through four months of physical exams and testing, meetings with hospital psychologists and transplant coordinators, and this week learned that Nov. 28 is the tentative date for the transplant.
"I saw the article and had been thinking about doing something meaningful in life," she said about how she came to her decision to donate after reading about Leonard in The MetroWest Daily News and Wayland Town Crier.
Leonard needs a new kidney because the organ his mother donated to him in 1969 when he was only 11 years old is failing. No family members are able to donate to Leonard. His mother died in 1991 of ovarian cancer.
Though Bray and Leonard live in Wayland, neither know each other, though they have exchanged e-mails and a few phone calls. Bray, who has lived in Wayland for one year and lived the previous 10 in Waltham, said she has a few friends who said they know Leonard.
Massachusetts General Hospital has asked Bray and Leonard to avoid meeting before the surgery, both said, in order to avoid any ethical conflict and the chance that either would allow anything from a meeting to affect their decision on the transplant.
Some hospitals do not support altruistic transplants from non-family members or people who do not have an established friendship before the need for a transplant. The concern raised by some medical ethicists is that organ donations from strangers could lead to exploitation and other issues.
Given what she is offering, Bray felt strongly about at least talking to Gary on the phone.
"I went through a lot over the last four months. That’s why I talk to Gary and (his wife) Cindy. We had some really nice talks," she said. "I felt I really wanted to know who I was doing this for."
Leonard, excited about the transplant, said he understands the hospital wanting him and the donor keeping their distance until after the surgery.
"It would have been nice to meet but it’s fine," he said. "I hope we get to meet her afterward. It will be up to her."
MGH transplant staff could not be reached for comment for this story.
For Bray, her first challenge was getting her family to go along with the idea.
"They were worried about me living with one kidney and having surgery," she said.
Bray is married to her partner Jodie Nealley and they have an 8-year-old son together. The two married on May 15, 2005 -- the first day same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.
Bray, who works as an administrator at Brandeis University and runs her own writing business, said she was able to put her family at ease after completing research on the low risk of complications involved with the surgery, short recovery time and ease with which someone may live with one kidney.
"It’s surprising how easy it is to donate a kidney," she said. "I’m hoping I’ll be well enough to go to Florida for Christmas."
The typical recovery hospital stay for donors after surgery is about a week, though some go home after only three days. Pain is the most common side effect and full recovery can take up to 12 weeks. A person needs only one fully functioning kidney and donors are thoroughly screened prior to the transplant to ensure they are healthy enough for the operation. Donors must have the same blood type as the recipient. Doctors try to match as many of the six antigens in the blood as possible to lessen the chances of rejection.
What surprised Bray was how long the waiting list is for those seeking kidneys. In Massachusetts, the wait can be five years or longer, depending on blood type. More than 69,000 people are on the national wait list for kidneys from cadavers, and people die waiting each day.
Most people who receive a kidney are already on dialysis three times a week to remove waste from the blood. Leonard does not need dialysis yet.
Leonard has minor surgery scheduled this week and if all goes well and he and Bray stay healthy, next month’s surgery should be a go. He said he has been tired lately and is on dietary restrictions.
"I’m tired at night but still working, and expect I will work right up until the transplant," he said. He works as a senior claims analyst for Tufts Health Plan.
Bray said donating will be a good lesson for her son.
"I really will feel proud that I’ve done something like this for someone else," she said. "There’s a reason he’s still alive, and I’m going to help him keep living."
Bray hopes her donation will educate and maybe inspire others.
"So many people need kidneys. If you can, it’s good to consider."

(Rob Haneisen can be reached at rhaneis@cnc.com or 508-626-3882.)

orig: http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=101937

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