Kidney donor, recipient start a new journey

Kidney donor, recipient start a new journey

By Evie Malm
Published: Thursday, June 3, 2010 9:46 AM EDT

Many people refer to life as a journey. For Denise Coangelo, a receptionist at Foxboro Animal Hospital, life has been two distinct journeys: the first before receiving an organ transplant and the second beginning with her new kidney.

Not only has her day-to-day life changed but also a deep bonding has taken place thanks to her loving, giving and unselfish sister-in-law Anna Cardot.

While Denise struggled on and off with kidney problems in her early years, she was 18 years old when she came down with a serious and painful kidney infection and was rushed to Deaconess Hospital. Doctors discovered she was born with shortened tubes connecting her kidney to her bladder. They operated to correct the problem.

Under the continuing care of urologists, Denise went on to lead a fairly normal life until 1989, when she had to have her cancerous thyroid completely removed. Again, she rallied and by the early 1990s had married her husband Mario, a man she calls "an extremely optimistic, happy and healing person."

They moved to Foxboro 16 years ago and settled in Summerfield in a neighborhood Denise labels as "very close, caring and friendly."

Life was moving along very normally until 1999, when a regular kidney blood check led to an ultrasound which in turn showed a tumor on one of her kidneys. This led to the removal of the tumor and one kidney. Doctors made it clear she would only have 15 percent function of the remaining kidney.

Again, with her built-in optimism, a caring husband and a strong family support system, she was able to accept the diagnosis. For 10 more years her life continued on a fairly even path.

That was until last summer, when she became very sick only to discover her remaining kidney was barely functioning and she would now have to have to go on dialysis while hopefully finding a kidney donor.

Her husband, who was in amazingly good health, seemed like an ideal match. He immediately started getting tested with the assumption that Denise would start her four-hour dialysis sessions three times a week until the pieces all fell into place.

Ironically, on the first day of Denise's dialysis, the Committee at Tufts Medical was reviewing the assumed viability of Mario being a donor. Surprisingly, a small scar showed up on his heart and he was denied.

Not willing to give up, he sought a second opinion at another major hospital, but was again rejected.

Denise became resigned to the weekly dialysis regimen. The wait for another kidney could be five to six years or more. Statistics at the time claimed 84,000 people waiting for donors and only 10- to 20,000 donors available.

A call came from Mario's sister in Missouri. She said unhesitatingly she would donate a kidney. After all, she,too, was in top physical condition and health "and had his same blood type."

In spite of discouragement from her brother and from Denise, she never wavered. When she and her husband came to Boston for Thanksgiving, she underwent testing. It was simple as that -- in December, she was told she passed with flying colors and surgery was scheduled for Feb. 9 -- Valentines Day week.

For a short time Denise became hesitant after hearing horror stories about other people and their kidney transplants. Denise called Anna to urge her to opt out if she didn't want to go through with being a donor. But Anna said she absolutely had no doubts and was ready and willing to proceed.

Recognizing this was the chance of a lifetime and knowing what the dialysis was like, Denise started to get excited about the whole procedure. Family and friends and the Foxboro Animal Hospital gave her parties. Everyone rallied around her.

With husband and family in the waiting room, the women kissed each other and headed into the operating room. The kidney was removed from Anna in a laproscopic procedure, but Denise had to go through a longer cutting procedure to receive her kidney.

Denise knew things were going well when she heard her doctor enthusiastically announce the kidney "had two veins and was pink, fat, and plump!"

Anna, with her ever-pleasant upbeat humor, is said to have replied, "It sounds like you want to throw it on the grill!"

Both women, one dawning a red robe and the other a pink one, spent the next few days at the hospital getting into the follow-up regime which would include for Denise as many as 20 pills a day.

With the surgery over, the duo headed back to Foxboro, where they would recuperate for a month. Denise would be beginning her second journey and Anna would be lending her love and good humor before returning to Missouri.

"We were like sisters from the get-go," says Denise. "There was never any tension between us."

They would get up in the morning, light the fire in the fireplace and savor coffee and breakfast. The more they talked, the more they bonded and found they thought much alike, although they did kid about their differing political viewpoints.

When Anna left, Denise admits to feeling a little blue. The two keep in contact every week and Denise will head to Missouri in June.

As her second journey continues, Denise says it almost feels like this new kidney is like an electrical charge within her. Both her skin and eyes look and feel better. She has returned to work. Completely content with her life, she comments, "I love my age, my life, and am just happy as I am."

She and her husband both love to cook and she looks to take a culinary art course in Cambridge. She's even thinking about taking up golf.

While Denise urges everyone to use the driver's license as a venue to become a universal donor, her sister-in-law has contacted a local hospital in her area to become what Denise refers to as "a poster child" for living donors.

Denise cannot say enough about her sister-in-law and the gift of life she gave to her. Before leaving, Denise presented Anna with a delicate Tiffany bracelet with the engraved words from one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poems: "Let me count the ways ..."

http://www.foxbororeporter.com/articles/2010/06/03/features/7420244.txt