‘Almost a half century and going’ Survivor

‘Almost a half century and going’ Survivor
Norwalk man one of the longest surviving kidney transplant recipients in country
By AARON KRAUSE
Reflector Staff Writer akrause@norwalkreflector.com
The “moon face” symptom Harry Greiner experienced from taking the anti-rejection medication Prednisone did not bother him.
“I didn’t care if it stayed that way forever because I was just happy to be healthy,” the 60-year-old Norwalk resident said.
Today, he has been healthy with a donated kidney for 40 years — making Greiner one of the longest kidney transplant survivors in the United States.
Both of Greiner’s kidneys had to be removed due to disease. He is living on one kidney.
At age 20, his uncle, Les, donated a kidney so Greiner could undergo a potentially life-saving transplant.
At age 12 or 13, Greiner was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disease in which scar tissue develops on the parts of the kidneys that filter waste out of the blood. FSGS can be caused by a variety of conditions. Without treatment, primary FSGS will usually lead to kidney failure where the only treatment options are dialysis or kidney transplant. The condition is hereditary in Greiner’s family; several close family members either have, had or died from the disease.
As his kidneys shrank more and more, he grew sicker and sicker.
Greiner said his parents didn’t even let him attend, much less play, sports — something he loved. They wanted to keep him out of bad weather.
He said not being allowed to attend made him feel different from his peers. Sometimes he snuck away and attended games despite being forbidden.
Greiner’s parents never told him the real reason why he became so sick — they told him it was allergies, but Greiner suspected something else. His suspicion was confirmed when he overheard his mother saying something about kidney disease.
In fact, doctors told his mother her son would die before he turned 21.
So the decision to undergo the transplant wasn’t a difficult one. “I didn’t want to die when I was 20 years old,” said Greiner, who works in the Ohio Veteran’s Home in Sandusky.
The transplant was a success, and several months later, Greiner started experiencing an unfamiliar feeling — being healthy. Physically, he never knew how good a person could feel — he had always been sick, tired and weak.
“It was new life,” Greiner said about his kidney transplant. “It’s the best life I’ve ever had and the only one I know now.”
What have been his secrets to living so long on his uncle’s kidney?
For starters, he has regularly taken his anti-rejection medicine.
“I think I missed once in 40 years,” he said. “I really pride myself on that.”
Greiner said he also told his doctor immediately if he caught a cold, drank a lot of water, exercised and watched his cholesterol.
What kept Greiner motivated to religiously follow all these steps? He said he simply didn’t want to get sick again.
“It’s a horrible thing,” he said about having to undergo dialysis. “You feel like you have the flu all the time. “It takes a toll on your body.”
Now, Greiner doesn’t have to worry about any of that.
Someone asked him what will go through his mind today — the 40th anniversary of his transplant.
“I’m just thankful, I’m always thankful,” he said.
Specifically, he said he’s thankful for his wife, Cindy, and sons, Mike and Joe.
And, of course, the kidney that has given him health.
“I expect to keep it until the day I die,” he said.
Greiner said it’s a myth that people who receive a transplant don’t live very long.
“Look at me — almost a half century and going,” he said.
Kara Steele, director of community relations for Life Connection of Ohio, said in Ohio there are 2,638 people waiting for a kidney transplant and 90,563 in all of the U.S.
According to Donate Life America, more than 100,000 men, women and children need life-saving organ transplants. Every 10 minutes, another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.
For more information about kidney donation, visit www.lifeconnectionofohio.org .

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