Transplanting hope: Snellville woman gives teen kidney

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Transplanting hope: Snellville woman gives teen kidney
Because of her generous nature, Sheilia Thurman’s husband had always jokingly told her she wouldn’t make it out of this world without giving up an organ.
Posted: 7:49 PM Mar 22, 2011
Reporter: By Tyler Estep, Staff Writer
Email Address: tyler.estep@gwinnettdailypost.com

After being forwarded an email about a child from Newnan in need of a kidney transplant, Sheilia Thurman decided to donate one of her own. After months of testing at Emory University, Thurman’s kidney was removed and transplanted into 17-year-old Eagle Scout Connor Comeans on Jan. 28, marking a milestone 500th kidney transplant at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

SNELLVILLE — Because of her generous nature, Sheilia Thurman’s husband had always jokingly told her she wouldn’t make it out of this world without giving up an organ.

It turns out he was right.

Thurman, a Snellville resident, had met 17-year-old Connor Comeans exactly once when she got the email, the one detailing the Newnan high schooler’s need for a new kidney.

At A Glance

• In 2010, nearly 800 Georgians received a life-saving organ transplant. Of those, 64 were under the age of 18.
• There are more than 3,000 Georgia residents on the national transplant waiting list. Of those, 24 are under the age of 18.
• Kidneys are by far the most demanded organ for transplants. In Georgia, 2,860 patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list. In the United States, 87,930 patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list.

*Statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

On Aug. 24, 2010, she began her mission to give him one, in what would become the 500th kidney transplant at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“All I knew was that there was a kid that needed a kidney, and we only need one to live,” Thurmon said recently. “I said: ‘Hey, sign me up.’”

Connor’s father, Bob, had previously befriended Thurman’s mother-in-law at the Renaissance Festival, where they both worked part-time. The two families went to the Big Apple Circus together last February, marking the first time Sheilia and Connor met.

Connor was born with, in layman’s terms, underdeveloped kidneys, getting a transplant from his mother at age 9. In August, it became apparent he would need another.

Gung-ho and upbeat as always, Thurman stepped up to the plate.

“Your first reaction is why would they do this?” Bob Comeans said in a recent phone interview. “And then you meet her, and it’s like, that’s just who she is.”

“It chokes you up. It brings tears to your eyes.”

The Comeans got 27 responses to their initial email regarding Connor’s need. Of those, only seven filled out the subsequent 12-page medical questionnaire.

Thurman and another man were the only two that showed up for an appointment at the hospital. They chose Thurman, a 46-year-old work-from-home mom.

“I was giving a kidney to somebody, even if it wasn’t Connor,” Thurman said. “I was absolutely committed to doing this.”

She wouldn’t have to find another recipient of her goodwill, but the process was a slow one.

Thorough medical examinations of herself and Connor took months, and attempts by the Comeans and Thurmans to get the procedure done before Christmas (and before Connor would have to go on dialysis) failed.

On Jan. 28, the duo went under the knife, Thurman at Emory Hospital with Connor at nearby Egleston. After the procedure — which went well — Thurmon was wheeled over to Connor’s room across the street.

“He’s sitting there with a big plate of food, watching movies,” Thurman said. “He had no pain. It was amazing. I was like, ‘Dude, no pain? Seriously?’”

Thurman had a little pain, and remained hospitalized for three days following surgery. Almost two full months removed, she’s back to 100 percent, minus any heavy lifting.

In between frequent texts and emails with his new friend, Connor is thriving, the appetite and “color in his cheeks” back, his father said.

“Every day I look at him,” Bob Comeans said, “and he’s like a completely new kid.”

Connor is an Eagle Scout and now a senior at Northgate High School in Newnan. Thanks in no small part to Thurman, he plans to attend college at the University of West Georgia and go on to study some form of medicine.

Thurman, a Boy Scout den mother for three years, now proudly sports her “My other kidney is in an Eagle Scout” T-shirt on a regular basis.

“I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d definitely do it again,” Thurman said. “I would encourage other people to look into doing it. It’s a sacrifice for a very short amount of time.”

“I don’t have to take medications the rest of my life like Connor does.”

The survival rate of transplanted organs can vary wildly depending on the donor, the recipient and several other factors, but a very rough average for a kidney is 10 to 12 years.

Thurman, though, is looking for a few more.

“We’re hoping mine’s going to last for 50 years or so,” she said with a laugh. “It can happen.”
 
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