Story inspires woman to donate kidney to stranger

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'My angel has come to visit'
Story inspires woman to donate kidney to stranger

BY ANNA SUDAR • Advocate Reporter • May 10, 2010

NEWARK -- Reese Alban had never met Donna Saalfield.

But that didn't stop him from embracing her in a grateful hug when she came to his house.

"My angel has come to visit me today," he said. "I finally get to meet our angel."

Alban, of Newark, and Saalfield, of Heath, met for the first time April 29 to talk about the upcoming surgery that will change their lives.

Saalfield is donating one of her kidneys to Alban, giving him the chance to live a life without dialysis.

After months of testing, their surgery is scheduled for May 21 at Ohio State University Medical Center.

"I am just so humbled," Alban said. "We are so thankful."

Alban has been undergoing dialysis for end-stage renal disease for more than a year.

A native of Newark, Alban, 68, and his wife, Kaye, have spent most of their 46 years of marriage running The Sam Alban Co. on West Main Street. But they had to close the furniture store in 2008 when Alban's health deteriorated.

Four years ago, he was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Doctors think he suffered from pulmonary hypertension.

His lungs became so weak he needed to use oxygen and inhalers. Medication eventually helped him get his hypertension and breathing under control, but his high blood pressure destroyed his kidneys.

In March 2009, he began dialysis at Choice One Renal Care in Newark, three times each week for four hours.

Although Alban dreamed of traveling with his wife, he had to stay close to Newark so he could go to dialysis. The treatments left him exhausted.

"When I'm on dialysis, it's life but it's not really living," he said. "I come home and don't really do much."

Alban's doctors suggested he consider a kidney transplant, but because of his age, he was only eligible for an organ from a live donor.

His wife and son, Matt, had health problems that made them ineligible to donate.

Friends and relatives offered to help, but none of them had the O positive blood type required to donate to Alban.

In early January, The Advocate published a story about Alban's search for a compatible donor. Eighteen people contacted the Albans offering to donate.

One of those people was Donna Saalfield. The story caught her eye when she picked up her morning newspaper.

"I recently lost my dad, and that's what brought me to Reese," she said. "I thought of his family and how much it would mean to him to be able to spend time with them."

A mother of three, Saalfield, 43, works as a sales representative for Commercial Electronics in Heath.

"I am a very family-oriented person," she said. "(In the article) Reese talked about wanting to take his family to Put-in-Bay. That's not to much to ask for someone who has been working his whole life."

Saalfield called the Albans, then contacted the OSU Comprehensive Transplant Center to begin the process of donating.

It is possible to live with only one kidney but potential donors must go through rigorous medical testing, said Christine McGowan, a home dialysis nurse and transplant liaison at Choice One Renal Care.

"They have to get lots of testing done, blood work and a family history," she said. "It's so the recipient gets a good organ and the donor is not at risk. We don't want more dialysis patients."

Potential donors also have to meet with a psychologist, a social worker and a donor advocate, McGowan said.

In mid-April, Alban and Saalfield both got the good news: She is able to donate her kidney.

If all goes as planned, Alban and Saalfield will go into surgery at the same time in operating rooms that are across from each other so Saalfield's kidney can be transplanted immediately, McGowan said.

Saalfield should be in the hospital only a few days and away from work for two to three weeks, McGowan said.

Although she will have several follow-up appointments to make sure she is healing, she will be able to go about her normal life soon after the surgery, she said.

Alban will spend about six days in the hospital and several weeks recovering. He will have to take anti-rejection medications for the rest of his life, but he won't need dialysis, McGowan said.

"I hope both of us do well," Saalfield said. "But I think we are going to be fine. I don't have any regrets, and I don't expect any."

Although her children were nervous when she first told them about the transplant, Saalfield's entire family is supporting her decision.

Her co-workers are covering her shifts at work so she can have the surgery.

"Before my dad died, he said he would never want to be on dialysis ever; it's not the kind of life he wanted to live," she said. "I am hoping this helps Reese a lot."

Alban doesn't have any big plans for after the transplant, but said he is excited to be able travel and relax.

"It will be my first true retirement," he said. "I can kick back and do what I want to do."

Alban and his wife plan to keep in touch with Saalfield and her family after the surgery is completed.

"We are just so thankful for Donna," Kaye said. "I'm sure we will be friends. I feel like we already know her."

McGowan said she sees a lot of her patients get donations from friends and acquaintances, but rarely from someone they've never met.

"It's a little more unusual," she said. "Living donation is a very wonderful thing, and those who donate are very special.

Although Alban is grateful to be getting a kidney, he knows there are many others who still are waiting for a donation.

Several of the people who couldn't donate to him expressed interest in giving kidneys to others.

"I hope this encourages other people to donate," he said.

Saalfield said she never realized how many people are in need of organs until she began the transplant process.

"When we went down to OSU to see the surgeon, my husband and daughter went with me and we were just amazed by all the people waiting for a transplant," she said. "I hope other people try to do this; you are giving someone more of a life."

Anna Sudar can be reached at (740) 328-8544 or asudar@newarkadvocate.com.