Nazareth Family Shares Story Behind Special Donation

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Nazareth Family Shares Story Behind Special Donation

A Nazareth family shares its story about a special kind of donation and birthday -- a kidney and turning 55.
By Anthony Rando Email the author September 22, 2011  Print &nbps;0 Comments

For the past three years, Donald Garis, 54, has been on kidney dialysis.

On Oct. 16, Garis will celebrate his 55th birthday -- one that will be much different than the previous 54. Around the date Garis turns 55, he will also receive a new kidney.

“He is very excited to be the first Garis to make it to 55 in a couple of generations," said Cory Garis, Donald's son who resides in Nazareth.

Donald, who lives in Wilson, was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) -- a hereditary disease that causes cysts to form on the kidneys.

Donald lost his father, brother and grandfather to PKD. All three passed away at age 54.

So how did Garis go from sitting on the national waiting list for a kidney donation -- the wait averages two to four years and includes roughly 112,000 candidates, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing -- to preparing for a transplant that’s now roughly a month away?

The answer leads to a fifth-grade social studies teacher at Easton Area Middle School who heard about Garis through a mutual friend, David Crowell, head wrestling coach at Nazareth Area High School. Crowell previously coached at Easton Area High School and Wilson Area High School.

Michael McMillan, 51, made the decision to donate one of his kidneys to Garis after hearing his story.

“Basically, someone came forward and said, ‘I want to save your life,’” Cory said. “Mike and his wife are now part of our family.”

This past Saturday, Cory and his family held a private benefit at their Nazareth home on Oak Street. The event was coordinated by Cory’s wife, Amber Garis, and included wine tastings, raffles and sales of Thirty-One Gifts.

The purpose of the benefit was twofold:

To help raise money for the recuperation process. Donald is the foreman of the Star Collision Center at Star Buick GMC and will need to take time off while his body heals.
To show Donald that his family, friends and community are 100 percent behind him and McMillan.
“My dad was really excited to see all of the support from everyone, and their willingness to help him through this difficult time,” Cory said.

Cory spoke for his father, who is overwhelmed by the "gift" -- a kidney -- a complete stranger is willing to give him.

The Garis family actively participates in the Lehigh Valley Kidney Walk, which will be held on Oct. 2 at the Lehigh Parkway in Allentown. Due to his condition and the upcoming transplant, Donald may not be able to participate, but the Garis family will still be there -- under the team banner “Pap-Pap’s Peeps.”

Donald and his wife, Diane, have three sons and five grandchildren.

http://nazareth.patch.com/articles/nazareth-family-shares-story-behind-special-donation