Morath donates kidney to save friend’s life

[okarol]

Morath donates kidney to save friend’s life

By Dustin Renwick
Daily Review Atlas
New! Fri Jan 02, 2009, 10:52 AM CST

MONMOUTH – Rarely does a stolen car lead to the chance to save a human life.

But Aimee Morath's stolen car provided her with a unique opportunity to change a life.

Morath, a 2004 graduate of Monmouth High School, has spent the past several years in Arizona, attending massage school in Phoenix. Suddenly without a car, Morath began searching for a new vehicle, eventually meeting Mike Tanna, a manager at a local car dealership.

Tanna and his wife, Susan, became Morath's massage clients, and the three quickly grew close.

"They became like a second set of parents for me down there," Morath said.

Morath soon learned that her friend's kidney was failing, and that Mike had already undergone three kidney transplants.

"To be able to have a fourth transplant is very rare," Morath said. "I am a donor on my driver's license, but the opportunity never presented itself. It was a great chance for me to help him out."

The road to help her friend wasn't always sunny though. Both Morath and Mike underwent rigorous testing to make sure that Morath's kidney would not be rejected by Mike's immune system.

"There were a lot of blood tests, and I was always waiting for a phone call. It was nerve-racking," Morath said.

"I was approved to be a match in July," she said. "Then they did another test that rejected me as a donor. He was on dialysis the whole time, waiting. It wasn't always good news."

Doctors found another treatment for Mike in August that once again allowed Morath to donate, but surgery had to be rescheduled several times before finally happening in December.

"It was pretty simple procedure for me, but for Mike, it was very high risk because even after all the tests, you still don't know until you put the organ in," she said.

It was Morath's first surgery, and she said that seeing Mike feel better and walk around after the surgery confirmed what she already knew – donating her kidney was the right decision.

Both Mike and Morath are currently healthy, and Morath will have no major lifestyle changes, other than a required checkup every year for the rest of her life.

"I was healthy before, so it'll be pretty easy," she said. "I can't exercise for a few months until everything heals, and I just have to be smart about what I put into my body."

Morath will ring in this new year after given the gift of a new life.

"There's around 100,000 people on the (organ transplant) waiting list, and it's such a significant thing to knock even one or two people off the list. I wanted to give it a chance, and it all worked out. I feel so blessed to have done it."

Morath is the daughter of Bruce (Pam) and Ann Morath.

http://www.reviewatlas.com/news/x512371559/Morath-donates-kidney-to-save-friend-s-life