FOX Medical Team: Living Donors

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FOX Medical Team: Living Donors
Updated: Monday, 19 Sep 2011, 6:25 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 19 Sep 2011, 6:25 PM EDT

Beth Galvin
By MYFOXATLANTA STAFF/myfoxatlanta

ATLANTA - Each year, organ donors help save countless lives across the country, but there's some important information you need to know before you sign on the line.

After 12 years of kidney failure and dialysis, Robert Fowler found his second chance, when his cousin's wife sat down next to him at Thanksgiving dinner.

"She said, ‘What do I have to do to be a donor?’ And I said, ‘Well, I can give you a number. But think about it overnight to make sure.’ She came up the next morning and said, ‘I'm convinced this is what I'm supposed to do,’” said Fowler.

About two months later, she called Fowler to tell him she was a match and she still wanted to go through with the procedure.

Dr. Carlos Zayas knows what a gift living donation can be. At Piedmont Hospital, he's the director or the kidney transplant program. But Zayas is also a survivor of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, thanks to bone marrow stem cells donated by a family member.

"I feel very close to the patient in the sense that I have my own stories about my own battles with healthcare systems and insurance payers, and insurance approval, “ Zayas said.

Each year, about 6,000 Americans become "living" donors, giving everything from a kidney, to piece of their liver or lung, or their healthy bone marrow.

Zayas says if you're thinking about it, your local transplant center is a great source of information.

"There are so many times when we receive here at Piedmont a patient that has been told before, ‘You cannot be a recipient, you cannot be a donor for X, Y or Z reason,’ and when we investigate and put some time on it, we realized, well, these are barriers we could actually conquer,” said Zayas.

Usually the organ recipient's insurance provider pays for a living donor transplant.

It will cover the donor's testing, surgery and recovery, but it may not cover the donor's lost wages, travel expenses, follow-up care. So, Zayas says check with your employer and your insurance provider to find out what their policies are.

Donors may qualify for sick leave, vacation time, or time off through the Family Medical Leave Act.

After a decade of sickness, thanks to his cousin's generosity, Robert Fowler can't wait to feel well.

"It is the greatest gift. I mean she herself says, "I want to give you life." And that's exactly what she's doing."

Kidney donors usually stay in the hospital three to seven days; partial liver donors stay about a week.

Usually, they can return to work about a week after their surgery, but it may take a month or two before you feel 100 percent.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/health/FOX-Medical-Team%3A-Living-Donors-2010919-pm-pk