Man Survives 2 Kidney Transplants, 37 Years Apart

[okarol]

Mar 29, 2008 11:28 pm US/Central

Man Survives 2 Kidney Transplants, 37 Years Apart

Reporting
John Lauritsen

(WCCO) A Brooklyn Center man has a unique story of courage and survival.

Scott Jameson was 4 years old when he received his mother's kidney. The kidney was supposed to last about 14 years. It lasted 37 -- a Minnesota record for a living kidney donation.

Recently, Jameson found out he would need another transplant.

He's 42 now, but when he was an infant his kidneys began to fail. Lucky for Jameson, his mother Louise was a perfect donor match. At the age of 4, he received her kidney.

"I was 4 years old at the time but I was the size of a 2-year-old. I was one of the smallest at the time," said Jameson.

With his mother's kidney inside him, Jameson has been able to do all the things he's wanted to do. A couple of months ago he found out that he would once again need a donation.

"He had a great run with that kidney and it lasted 37 years. That's extraordinary," said Dr. Ty Dunn of the University Of Minnesota Medical Center.

In January, Scott was put on a 5-year donation waiting list. Doctors predicted he would be on dialysis well before the wait was over. For the second time in his life though, Scott was about to get a big break.

"Then the phone rang, not even a month later and it was the call," said Jameson.

Doctors had found a perfect match for Jameson, allowing him to move up the waiting list, but he only had a couple hours to get to the hospital.

"Grateful, frightened, anxious, and just plain scared to death. All at once," he recalled.

He made it in time and the surgery was a success. He went home after just 5 days.

"For someone facing this sort of crisis, he heals fast. It's that positive attitude," said Louise Hill, Jameson's mother.

He's beaten the odds twice, setting a record in the process. Even Jameson knows his new lease on life wouldn't be possible without someone else's generosity.

Doctors say waiting just a few weeks for a kidney donation is rare, but it does occasionally happen. In Jameson's case the donor died from head trauma and certain criteria made the donor's kidney a perfect match.

A trust fund has been set up for Jameson's care:

Citizens Independent Bank
Scotty J. Benefit Fund
3700 West Broadway
Robbinsdale, MN 55422
Attn: Shirley

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