Maryland Man Recovers From Pioneering Kidney Transplant Surgery

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Maryland Man Recovers From Pioneering Kidney Transplant Surgery

 posted 03/18/09 3:45 pm 

A Maryland man is recovering from life-saving kidney transplant surgery -- only the second of its kind to be performed in the United States.

Charles County resident Rudy Chinnery had been getting dialysis four time a week for four years. He says a machine ran his life until his brother set him free with a miraculous gift.

Less than one week after giving his brother a kidney, 47-year-old Sheldon Chinnery is up and about and anxious to work out again.

"Actually, I feel great! On a scale of one to 10, I'd say maybe about an eight-and-a-half," Sheldon Chinnery said.

As the transplant recipient, Rudy Chinnery says he's also getting better every day. Now that he had his transplant, he will take anti-rejection medicine for the rest of his life, but in theory, he will never have to go through dialysis again.

"I have a lot of respect for my brother. My brother has been my stronghold through this and he realized what I have been going through," said Rudy Chinnery.

The trailblazing surgery involved mismatched blood types and because of that, the transplant recipient had to go through a special procedure before surgery.

Dr. Keith Melancon, the director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at Georgetown University Hospital says the transplant donor's operation was also pioneering.

"Normally for this procedure we would make an incision at the belly button and then we would make three other incisions -- one here, one here and one down here," explained Melancon.

Melancon took Sheldon Chinnery's kidney out through his belly button -- only the second time that's ever been done in the United States.

Melancon says the breakthrough procedure could do wonders for the living-donor population, especially among African-Americans.

"It's going to increase the number of donors because it's going to make the operation less painful for them allow them to get back to work earlier," he said. "They need living donors more than any other group of patients in the country so it's a beautiful thing that he came forward and saved his brother's life."

Rudy Chinnery may leave the hospital in the next week or so and then spend about a month at home. His brother will be ready to start training for a tennis tournament in May.

    http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0309/604998.html