Helping A Neighbor In Need

Helping A Neighbor In Need
Bemus Point Woman Receives Kidney From Neighbor

By Scott Kindberg skindberg@post-journal.com
POSTED: July 19, 2009

The letter was dated Jan. 14, 2001.

The sender was Franklin Laundry, a dear friend and retired pastor, who, until the day he died, always offered words of wisdom and counsel whenever I would see him.

But when I recently found the missive tucked into the top drawer of my oak desk - neatly typed and signed "Uncle Franklin" - I have to admit I was floored by how he ended it.

"When cheerfulness is kept up against all odds,'' Franklin wrote, "it is the greatest form of courage.''

When the goose bumps on my arms finally disappeared, I couldn't help but think how appropriate that quote - taken from one of my late friend's daily devotionals - was for the story that follows below.

Heck, it could very well be the mantra of two Chautauqua County women, who, until six months ago, hardly knew each other, but today have a bond that will never be broken.

Sue Vincent of Jamestown gave Laurie Beaton of Bemus Point a new lease on life. In the process, they showed their family and friends the power of positive thinking.

When cheerfulness is kept up against all odds, it is the greatest form of courage.

Somewhere, Franklin is smiling.

Riley Beaton, the youngest of Laurie and Kevin Beaton's four children, sat in Sue Vincent's seventh-grade health class at Maple Grove Junior-Senior High School late last year. The topic was the body's internal organs.

At one point during the discussion about kidneys, Riley, not normally the talkative sort, raised his hand.

"Riley?'' Sue asked, somewhat surprised.

"My mother needs a kidney transplant,'' the youngster said matter of factly.

Stunned, Sue later ran into Kevin at Bemus Point Elementary School where they both teach physical education and he confirmed his son's revelation.

What Kevin couldn't have known then was that the person who would ultimately save his wife's life was the person looking at him.

Sue and Laurie were about to embark on an amazing odyssey. They just didn't know it yet.

Laurie is 47 and teaches elementary physical education in the Pine Valley Central School District. After developing kidney issues as far back as 20 years ago, she learned in the early 1990s that she had a condition known as Alport Syndrome, a highly degenerative kidney disease.

"It was a real gradual process,'' Laurie said. "If I didn't know I had the disease, I wouldn't have known it. I felt just normal and fine.''

But about three years ago, her kidney function began to drop considerably and in the last two years she developed other conditions, including water retention, and elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. By last fall - after a complete head-to-toe physical - Laurie was urged to begin compiling a list of prospective kidney donors.

A transplant was no longer in the distant future.

"It got to the point where the doctor said we have to start this process,'' Laurie said as she sat with Kevin on a couch at their Bemus Point home. "We had talked about it, but it was down the road. But I knew once my function dropped to 15 percent that's when you get the ball rolling. I knew it, but I really didn't want to face it until he said, 'Where do you want your transplant done?' ''

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was selected as the site almost immediately.

Finding a donor?

Not so fast.

"The hard part was just being patient,'' Kevin said.

Sue, 52, is married to Jim, they live in Jamestown and they have three children - Dan (25), Kevin (22) and Amy (20). And although Sue teaches in the Bemus Point Central School District with Kevin Beaton they were more colleagues than personal friends.

But when he mentioned last December that he was looking for an organ donor for Laurie, Sue began thinking about being tested to see if she would be a match.

"I thought about that fact that if I needed a kidney I would hope people would come forward for me,'' Sue said. "It's a life.''

Keeping her thoughts initially to herself, Sue researched kidney transplants on the Internet, and drew on her experience as a health teacher and also on her awareness of the surgery gleaned from when a family member had donated a kidney a few years before.

Finally, knowing her blood type was O-positive, like Laurie's, Sue, with Jim's blessing, donated her blood and then had to wait several weeks to see if she could ultimately be an organ donor.

Time was of the essence because the first three potential donors - a brother, a sister-in-law and a friend - were not a match and Laurie's condition was getting worse.

"Thank goodness, in the second round (of testing), Sue was a match,'' Laurie said. "I'll never forget it.''

A woman who Laurie only really knew from afar was going to be the one to save her life.

"Never once did she show me she had a second thought,'' Jim said. "She wanted to say that she did everything she could. ... She really has a lot of guts.''

And a loving heart.

When an announcement was made over the public address system at PVCS that "Mrs. Beaton'' had a match, students could be heard cheering.

Sue found out she was a match in March, but that was just the first hurdle.

"I had the million dollar physical,'' she said. "I had every inch of me scanned, and there were X-rays, blood work and stress tests.''

"That started the whole process of ups and downs and whether she was going to qualify or not,'' Laurie said.

Finally, in April, the families received confirmation that Sue would indeed be the donor. The tentative surgery was set for May 18 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. But that date was moved back to June 10 when Laurie experienced complications related to her potassium level.

"I was feeling pretty good,'' Laurie said. "I was tired, but nothing else was really up. Then we got a date of June 10 and all hell broke loose between May 18 and June 10.''

How bad was it?

Laurie's kidney function was down to 3 percent; her hemogloblin levels were dropping and she began experiencing breathing problems. They were so bad, in fact, that she'd sleep for about an hour only to wake up "kind of panicky because I couldn't breathe.''

Ultimately, she was admitted to Hamot Medical Center in Erie to begin a series of dialysis treatments in the days leading up to her transplant date. After a final treatment on Monday, June 8, Laurie and Kevin left for Pittsburgh and an appointment at 10 a.m., June 9 at UPMC.

Doctors performed many tests and finally cleared Laurie for surgery at 1:30 p.m. the next day.

"We were anxious about the reality of it all,'' said Wendy Johnson, Laurie's sister. "She was so anxious to feel good. She's very optimistic and she's very practical. She needed a new kidney and she wanted it. Period.''

Sue was more than happy to oblige.

"I was really excited to have a date to do it,'' she said. "I wasn't nervous at all. I was anxious to get this done and get her back on her feet.''

Laurie had no doubt about the outcome.

"First of all, that's my nature,'' she said. "I think that I tend to see the positive as opposed to the negative.''

The surgery lasted four hours and went flawlessly. The results were immediate.

"The minute they hook the kidney up to the blood supply it starts working,'' Laurie said. "I guess in the first hour if you have a live donor kidney they hope it will put out 30 ccs of urine. Mine put out 1,100. It just started working like crazy from the get-go.

"I feel as if it wasn't me that it happened to, but that it was a story about somebody else.''

In reality, though, it was a story about two people, who were virtual strangers at the start, but like sisters at the end.

Fittingly, a day after surgery, Laurie's sister, Wendy, grabbed her cell phone and took a photo of the women, who bear a remarkable resemblance to each other, and titled it "Angels."

"I was just amazed at the two of them before, during and after,'' Wendy said. "They were constantly going back and forth visiting each other. ... They were both glowing. No one should look that good after surgery, and I just thought this is a Kodak moment."

Wendy has one more moment to share, one she put to paper in the form of poem as a tribute to what Sue did for Laurie her family.

"I didn't even think there were words how I felt, but then they came,'' Wendy said. "I haven't given it to her yet. We felt if she read it in the newspaper, it would be more of a surprise.''

So, here it goes, Sue. Enjoy Wendy's Sunday surprise, entitled "By Design.''

More than a hero, you stepped up to the plate,

Opened your door to God's will and to my sister's fate.

You, the quiet leader, setting the pace

Chose to break your stride to help the human race.

I wish there were more like you, thinking unselfishly, so kindly

Imagine a world like that with no souls walking blindly

No more "I don't care," no more unfeeling rude

You give light to greater thought and depth to attitude

You cause me to wonder; I'm overwhelmed with your grace

You cause me to look up and see a brighter place

I'm at a loss for words when it comes to you

How can I express what words alone can't do?

On a much smaller scale, in our little corner of the world

Darkness prevailed 'til you brought back our little girl

You, one single person, one fine lady, by design

Turned our world right side up when you brought back our sunshine

More than five weeks after receiving her new kidney, Laurie said she's undecided about when she'll return to work at Pine Valley Central School.

''One doctor said I could go back in September, one doctor said I could go back in four months, which would be October, and one said I could go back in six months, which would be December,'' she said. ''The smart thing would be to wait until December, but I don't know. I miss not being there. I'm making the best of being off, but I really like doing what I do.''

As for Sue, she's also doing well. Two weeks post-op, she was walking two miles a night and not looking at all like someone who had just donated a kidney.

''Everybody has come up to me and given me a hug, telling me what a wonderful thing I've done,'' she said. '' ... It's an awesome feeling what you can do for somebody.''

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