Cedar City officer donates lifesaving organ to sister

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June 24, 2008

Cedar City officer donates lifesaving organ to sister

SAMANTHA ARNOLD
sarnold@thespectrum.com

CEDAR CITY - Cedar City Police Officer Mark Florence is spending his summer days at home with his wife and two children while recuperating from donating a kidney to his sister.

Still in recovery from the surgery that took place three weeks ago, Florence said he does not regret his decision to help his sister, Monica Griffiths, of Ogden, who was diagnosed with Lupus about two years ago.

Since then, Griffiths has been on dialysis for about a year and a half, Flore-nce said.

"It sealed the deal when I saw her at dialysis," he said. "I thought 'I can't not do this.'"

Florence grew up inMilford and moved to Cedar City in 1995. He became part of the Cedar City Police Department in 2004 while he continued to work toward a bachelor's degree from Southern Utah University in criminal justice.

Florence said he always planned to go to law school, but when he became the only clear match out of his mother and siblings, plans changed.

Even though he wasn't matched until January, Florence said he somehow knew months before that he would be the one to help his sister.

"I had a feeling it was going to be me," he said.

However, Florence said while he worried for his sister's health, he also had other matters to consider before making his decision, such as his wife and two children, as well as his upcoming graduation from college.

"I had to ask myself, 'is this the right thing to do?,'" he said.

Since the surgery in May, however, Florence said he knows he made the right decision.

His wife, Christy, said she supported his decision from the start.

"I was totally behind him," she said. "I knew it would all work out."

Christy Florence said their two children were also supportive, but their 6-year-old daughter was a little concerned about the process at first.

"She was worried that they were going to take his sister's kidney and put it into him, and take his good kidney and put it into (his sister,)" she said. "It was funny, but we just had to explain to her that that was not how it worked."

Since the surgery, Griffiths is healing quickly and told her brother that she has more energy now than she has had in years, Mark Florence said.

Christy Florence said the day after the surgery, Griffiths was full of energy and was walking around all over the hospital while her husband was the one in bad shape.

Mark Florence said he still has a few weeks to take it easy, but he is glad he went through with the surgery.

"I don't regret it at all," he said. "

Mark Florence said he and his sister are now putting together a blog about their personal experience because it sometimes can be difficult to find what others went through other than the word of the doctor.

Mark Florence said he would encourage those who are about to go through the process to check it out at www.organ soup.com.

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080624/NEWS01/806240308