Husband, wife tell their story of kidney donation

Husband, wife tell their story of kidney donation

By Barb Pert Templeton
Voice reporter
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

It's been more than six years since Phil Hea of New Haven underwent a kidney transplant with an organ donated by his wife, Karen Hea. Currently enjoying good health, the Heas are so thankful they strive to give something back by telling their story as volunteers with the United Health League.

The couple recently served as greeters at the Chesterfield Township branch office of the Secretary of State on Buddy Day, an official day set aside to inform the public about organ donation.

Hea said the day is sponsored by Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and always falls during National Organ Donor Week.

"The Secretary of State's office joined forces with Gift of Life to get people to have a heart sticker put on the back of their driver's license instead of just a signature okaying organ donation," Hea explained.

"This way they are registered in a data base to be a donor."

The Heas set up a table with literature about organ donation and approached people to ask if they'd like to sign up. The recent statewide effort on Buddy Day produced nearly 50,000 new names for the donor database, Hea said.

"People have the wrong idea about organ donation. Some people think they can be taken early or something ... but it's only if they are brain dead and it has to be declared by two physicians," Hea said. "And they can change their mind ... or if a husband says 'No, you can't take anything from my wife,' then they don't. But we still want to get the word out about organ donation because it gets people talking to their family to let them know it's their wish."

Spending three or four days a month traveling across the state to promote both organ and tissue donation, the Heas have addressed hundreds of people over the last few years.

"We do health seminars and shows and hand out pamphlets while talking to people about our experience," Hea said. "It's a good story, I mean my wife saved my life."

n Ultimate donation

A disabled Vietnam Veteran, Hea said in November 2000 he had been feeling bad for a while but kept ignoring the issue. A bout of food poisoning set him back even further and, before he knew it, he was hospitalized in intensive care with his organs shutting down.

"I was a chicken and a male idiot and didn't want to tell anyone how I was feeling. Then, by the time I went into the hospital, they told my wife to get my kids because I only had hours to live," Hea recalled. "I eventually lost three quarters of my blood and was put on dialysis to wait for a kidney transplant."

Shortly thereafter, his wife agreed to be tested as a possible donor. She has the same blood type and, after many tests, she proved a near perfect match, Hea said.

The transplant, which brought the couple national attention as the second husband and wife surgery in Henry Ford Hospital history, took place in March 2001.

Hea said it went well and, in fact, he was released from the hospital before his wife as she turned out to be allergic to all pain medications.

"Oh man, she was in misery at first," Hea said. "But then after I was home only a few days, I started to reject the kidney ... so I had to go back into the hospital."

A load of special medications plus a 10-day round of chemotherapy zapped Hea's system back into non-rejection mode and he was on the mend.

Today, Hea takes 40 to 50 medications a day to battle rejection but considers his life pretty normal. His wife is perfectly healthy and has suffered no after-effects from her surgery.

The now 58-year-old father of three can't say enough about how important organ donation can be and he hopes to reach as many people as possible with his own story.

"It's just a really good thing. I mean, you're not going to need them anymore," Hea said. "I know with a child it can be a really hard decision but you can save many lives. And if you've ever been on dialysis for kidneys, it's a horrible way to live."

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