Woman marks her 33rd year as a kidney transplant recipient

Woman marks her 33rd year as a kidney transplant recipient

SURVIVOR
Joan Waddell “I wasn’t supposed to make it,” Waddell said of her long-ago organ transplant. “And if I did make it, nobody knew how long it would last.”

By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer
Published: 12/10/2007 3:38 AM
Last Modified: 12/10/2007 3:38 AM

When she was 18 years old, Joan Waddell went to an eye doctor about her blurry vision. But instead of glasses, she wound up getting kidney dialysis for the next year and a half.
Back in 1974, Waddell’s family couldn’t find a doctor in Oklahoma to perform a kidney transplant. So they went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where Waddell’s older brother donated one of his organs.

After the surgery, as Waddell languished in critical condition for months, her family planned her funeral in Oklahoma.

“I wasn’t supposed to make it,” Waddell said recently. “And if I did make it, nobody knew how long it would last.” On Tuesday, she will celebrate the 33rd anniversary of her operation, making her one of the longest-surviving kidney transplant recipients in the country. Doctors say fewer than 30 patients have lived for more than 30 years without another transplant.

“I may not be here tomorrow or the next day,” Waddell said. “But by the grace of God, I’m here today.”

With her health declining now, Waddell is critical of the care available in Oklahoma, where she says technology and treatments haven’t kept pace with advancements in other parts of the country.

She plans to move early next year to Providence, R.I., home to a well-respected renal clinic.

“I’m leaving behind my home, my family and my friends,” she said. “But I’m doing what I have to do.”

Three years ago, on the 30th anniversary of her transplant, Waddell turned down interview requests.

“I’m not the kind of person who wants to get a lot of attention.”

But now, for the 33rd anniversary, Waddell wanted to speak out.

“First of all, I hope everyone will consider giving the gift of life. There is a desperate need for organs to help the very sick live.”

Her brother, Daniel White, was serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in South Korea when the Red Cross flew him home to Tulsa to be evaluated as a donor for her.

“He didn’t have to do it, but he did. I think of that song ‘Angels Among Us’ by Alabama, I think of Danny.”

Waddell also wants to encourage other transplant patients by letting them know they can enjoy long, productive lives.

“Be aggressive in your health care. It’s OK to get second opinions. Be prepared when doctors get tired of overseeing your many medical conditions — there will be a doctor that will take that challenge.

And most of all, have faith and don’t give up.”

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=071210_1_A1_spanc56110