She needs a kidney, and he wants to help

She needs a kidney, and he wants to help
Lynn teacher says transplant donor, a firefighter, is an angel

By Steven Rosenberg, Globe Staff | March 18, 2007

Jennifer Allen says Joe DiFranco is an angel sent from God. DiFranco says Allen is a hero and a role model. Although they've only known each other for about a month, their lives will change forever early next month when DiFranco donates one of his kidneys to Allen.

While the chances are only about 50-50 that DiFranco's kidney will function properly in Allen's body, the 29-year-old Lynn schoolteacher is not complaining about the odds. "There are so many doors and opportunities that are going to be open to me now. It's amazing that he can give that to me," said Allen, who married four years ago and hopes to eventually have a baby for the first time after the transplant.

DiFranco, a fire inspector and 20-year veteran of the Peabody Fire Department, said the decision to donate one of his kidneys was not a difficult choice. "I have been in situations where I have felt helpless, even as a firefighter -- where people have been sick, hurt, or killed, and I could not help them," said DiFranco, 45, who is married and has three children. "This is not one of those situations, because I can help."

For more than 12 years, Allen has lived with a rare kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The disease scars the kidneys and causes the organs to leak protein.

Three years ago, DiFranco was moonlighting as a bartender at a Danvers restaurant, working alongside Allen's mother, Judy Miles. Miles mentioned that she was organizing a blood test for people interested in donating a kidney to her daughter. DiFranco took the blood test and decided that he would give one of his kidneys to Allen if he were asked. "I said, 'Wouldn't it be strange if I got tested and I'm the match.' And then it happened."

Last month he learned that his blood type, A positive, matched that of Allen, and he immediately accepted when he was asked to become a kidney donor. In early January, DiFranco and his wife, Miranda, met with Allen and her parents at a Peabody restaurant.

Twenty minutes before DiFranco arrived, Allen ordered a Greek salad, and also casually chewed her ice as she waited. When DiFranco ordered, he asked for a Greek salad, and also began to chew on the ice from his drink. Both took notice of one another's dining proclivities. There were more similarities: Allen's grandfather and three uncles had been firefighters; DiFranco was a firefighter for 16 years, and his father had served for more than 30 years on the Peabody Fire Department. The two also shared stories about their favorite "American Idol" stars. By the end of the meal, they had bonded. They decided to go ahead with the procedure.

Since that dinner, the two have been in touch every day, either by phone or e-mail. They talk about the upcoming transplant and their hopes and dreams after the surgery. Each operation will take up to five hours, and the recuperation will be as long as eight weeks.

DiFranco will be the first city employee to receive a paid leave of absence for being an organ donor. Last month, the city approved the implementation of a state law that allows municipal workers up to 30 days of paid leave for donating an organ.

DiFranco's decision did not surprise some of his co-workers. "It's a selfless act, it's amazing, and it really speaks volumes about him," said Peabody Fire Chief Steve Pasdon. "He's a tireless worker. He's really committed to our community and this is him making another commitment to another human being."

Since he made his decision, DiFranco has read up on kidney transplants and also thought about how he could learn from this experience. After the operation, the two hope to begin a public-speaking campaign to spread awareness about kidney disease and kidney donations. "She's helping me to be a better person every day," DiFranco said. "It's a blessing to know her."

Allen first realized something was wrong just before Christmas 1994 when her ankles swelled up to the size of grapefruits. She was placed on medication and was able to attend Southern New Hampshire University, but by mid-March 1998, she was told she needed a kidney transplant. Her mother volunteered, but just a week after the procedure, the kidney had failed and had to be removed in another procedure. That week, she had four operations and nearly died before being released.

She remembers blacking out on a hospital bed, and then seeing a white light, and "floating" above everyone in the room. "I remember shouting, 'Please bring me back,' and then my parents called the nurses, and I came out of it."

In 1999, her father, Jim Miles, gave her a kidney -- which functioned until 2004. After that kidney failed, she went on peritoneal dialysis, a procedure that she does for about an hour every afternoon and from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night during sleep.

Without the kidney, Allen could stick to her daily dialysis. How long that treatment could keep her alive, however, is unknown. While she desperately wants to resume a life without dialysis again, Allen is preparing to deal with a scenario that she has faced before -- if the transplant doesn't work. "I have a lot of faith in medicine," she said. "If this doesn't work, for some reason, 10 years from now, I may be getting a kidney from a pig, or stem-cell research may be advanced enough so they can harvest kidneys."

Allen and DiFranco are preparing for the transplant in different ways. DiFranco plays guitar and has been listening to a lot of Bruce Springsteen lately. Allen attends Grace Episcopal Church in Salem and volunteers for the National Kidney Foundation.

While DiFranco has gained strength from hearing Allen's story, Allen said she is not bitter about her circumstances. "I feel like I got this disease and these issues because I can handle it. I'm strong enough, too. I've got enough family and faith; I want to educate other people about it."

Steven Rosenberg can be reached at rosenberg@globe.com.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/03/18/she_needs_a_kidney_and_he_wants_to_help/