Two Staunton women had life-changing and life-saving experience

A Life Changing Donation
Staunton, Va.
Earlier this year, two Staunton women had life-changing and life-saving experiences.
Posted: 5:23 AM Sep 11, 2009
Reporter: Sally Delta
Email Address: sgoin@whsv.com
Kidney Donation

Earlier this year, two Staunton women had life-changing and life-saving experiences. One was offering to donate a kidney to the other when she had a health scare of her own.

Donna Shifflett has an auto immune disease called Lupus.

She says, "See I just felt so bad. I was so fatigued. I had all that extra fluid to carry around and you know, I just wanted it over. And that's when they said you're going to have to have a transplant. You're going to have to have dialysis and it was all at one time."

Tammy Myers, who offered to donate a kidney to Shifflett, says, "We did know each other casually. I just can't see someone else suffer when I have two kidneys and I really, only need one."

Shifflett explains, "Tissue matching and everything about us was compatible and then she called me to say that we had a problem."

Myers says, "Then donor coordinator Anita Sytes said 'We have a problem. You have a large tumor on your left ovary.'"

"Regardless of my kidney, you just don't want some one to have cancer," says Shifflett.

Myers says, "They took the tumor out and it was not cancer, so we were all very relieved. Then I had to wait six weeks to heal totally from surgery. Then they set the surgery for July the 16th."

"They put the kidney in on Thursday and then I went home on Monday and I mean on Tuesday, I wasn't walking upright but I felt good," says Shifflett.

Myers says, "Donna and I are much closer. We talk just about every day."

"She's my angel. I mean she really is. I mean she saved me and gave me my life back," comments Shifflett.

To find out more about how you can save someone's life through organ donation, contact the Strickler Transplant Center at 800-543-8814.

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