The most important gift

The most important gift

By Melissa Davlin
Times-News writer
November 18, 2007 12:14 AM MST

Not many twentysomethings can claim they've saved a life.

Kade Skeen, however, is ahead of the curve.

In just over a year's time, the Twin Falls sporting goods salesman donated a kidney to his father, Russ, and bone marrow to a leukemia patient, a feat which he writes off as no big deal.

Francie Skeen disagrees. She described her stepson as "unselfish" and "modest."

"It's rare for a 22-year-old to be this giving," she said.

And he's not done.

"I'd definitely do it again," Kade said, though "Idon't have a whole lot of anything else to donate."

A kidney to spare

In May 2006, Russ started dialysis for a kidney problem related to uncontrolled high blood pressure. Right away, Kade tried to convince his father to accept one of his kidneys. Russ, who knew the risks of donating, resisted the idea at first.

"I fought with him just to see if I was a match," Kade said.

Kade finally won. While being tested for compatibility, Kade signed up for the bone marrow donation recruitment list. He didn't give the list much thought at first, focusing instead on his father's health.

After blood tests, an electrocardiogram and chest X-rays, Kade learned he was a close enough match to his father to donate his kidney.

"We just got lucky," Russ said.

Two months later, the family went to the University of Utah for the transplant surgery, a procedure more invasive for donor than recipient. Doctors had to sort through Kade's mass of muscle to find his kidney, but they installed it just under Russ' skin - leaving the nonfunctioning kidneys in place.

Both Kade and Russ had post-surgery complications. Just two hours after the procedure, Russ suffered a heart attack. Two days later, Kade came down with a fever and reacted to the pain medication. He lost 30 pounds in four days and was so pale that a co-worker told him he looked like a crackhead.

"It's an expensive way to lose weight," Russ said.

While both had a rough time initially, they recovered. Kade was back at work 24 days later and felt pain only occasionally. Russ said he went hunting thatOctober - although "not very well," Francie added.

After two more heart attacks and a surgery to replace a stint in a heart valve, Russ is in the clear. Now Kade could get away with a lot, his parents said. He'd just have to say, "But Dad, Igave you a kidney!"

Second chance to help

A year later, Kade got a phone call from an unfamiliar number. He ignored it at first, but the voice mail caught his attention. His record at the blood bank showed he was a potential candidate for a bone marrow transplant, the message said. He called back and immediately agreed to a second round of tests.

All he knew about the potential recipient: She was a 27-year-old woman with leukemia. After multiple series of tests and a waiting period, he found out in September he was a perfect match.He could back out at any time. But if he changed his mind while the patient was on chemotherapy, he was warned, there was a good chance she would die.

"I absolutely went through with it," Kade said.

The hospital let him choose when he would donate. He scheduled the donation, which required a trip to Seattle, after his hunting trip.

"It'sIdaho," Francie explained.

Still, the hunting never happened. Kade had to stay in town and get two daily shots to boost his white blood cell count. The procedure made his bones ache from the creation of new marrow.

On Oct. 21, a day before the procedure, Kade and his father flew to Seattle. For four hours, Kade was hooked to a machine by two needles in his arm. The process, called apheresis, separated the stem cells from his blood.

"The medical science behind it is incredible,"Russ said.

Kade, who was told he would be flat on his back for two days, was touring Seattle within an hour of finishing the donation.

"Ifelt fine," he said, although the Space Needle was disappointing. "It wasn't as tall as I thought it would be."

Two days later, he was back at his job at Sportsman's Warehouse. Initially, he was "dragging butt at work" because of the pain and fatigue.

Soon, the bruises on his arms and the body aches disappeared. Today, he feels no side effects. His main concern is the anonymous recipient of the bone marrow.

"Hopefully it was easier on her," he said.

Genetic generosity

There's no question where Kade got his unselfish attitude. Francie is close to earning her 10-gallon pin to commemorate how much blood she has donated. Russ donated blood until his diagnosis. When Kade's uncle Mike Skeen died from an aneurism in 2001, his organs, corneas, tissue and skin helped over 50 people who might otherwise have died.

"It all starts from donating blood," Francie said.

The generosity spread. Sportsman's Warehouse gave Kade paid time off during the kidney transplant without using his vacation or sick days. Various businesses and organizations, such as Sportsman's Warehouse and the Idaho Department of Correction, where Francie works, donated goods for a silent auction and raised around $5,000 to help cover medical costs.

"Ijust can't believe how good they were to Kade," Francie said.

The experience also brought Kade closer to his fun-loving family, "even though we'd like to kick him in the butt sometimes," Russ said.

Other than the pain, donating a kidney and bone marrow has been nothing but positive for Kade, who joked that he has only one regret.

"I had to kiss my professional football career goodbye."

Melissa Davlin may be reached at 735-3234 or at melissa.davlin@lee.net.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2007/11/18/features/family_life/124942.txt

PHOTO: Kade Skeen poses with his father and stepmother, Russ and Francie, in front of their Twin Falls home. Kade, 22, has donated a kidney to his father and bone marrow to a leukemia patient. 'Everybody always asks me if I feel any different,' he said. 'And I don't.'