Facebook helps connect local man to kidney donor

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September 23, 2012
Facebook helps connect local man to kidney donor
Donation comes from former Frankfort High School classmate

Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — When Alan Logsdon takes part Saturday in the Western Maryland Kidney Ride, he will, in fact, be giving his new kidney a ride as well.

“I’m feeling great, things couldn’t be better,” said Logsdon, who knew for 20 years that one day he would be in need of the transplant.

The 42-year-old Logsdon, a mechanic at NewPage, got a new kidney in February and the organ donation came from a former Frankfort High School classmate who had found out about the need on Facebook.

“I was on my Facebook page and asked people to send me some of their favorite Bible verses,” said Alan’s wife Becky. “We were having a lot of health problems throughout our family. Though I didn’t mention specifically that Alan needed a kidney.”

Enter Danny Anderson of New Martinsville, W.Va.

“Alan graduated at Frankfort in 1988, Danny in 1989 and me in 1990,” said Becky. “Danny sent me a private message and I told him what was going on and he said ‘can I give him a kidney?’”

Becky said she went home and told Alan “this guy is crazy” based upon his quick offer to part with a body organ.

But Anderson was serious.

“It was an easy call,” Anderson said by phone last week from West Virginia's Northern Panhandle where he is an accountant.

“My parents raised me to help if someone you know needs it. And there was divine intervention. I was sitting in church praying for Alan when I heard a voice from behind the altar telling me I was the donor.”

Becky said the two men look like twins, each about 5-10 and 195 pounds with similar facial characteristics.

“When the anesthesiologist came in and saw them he stopped and said ‘is this some kind of joke.’”

Surgery was at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. The donor was started first and when that appeared to be going well work began on the recipient.

“I was out of the hospital in less than 24 hours,” Anderson said. “It sounds like hard, nasty surgery, but it’s not. All mine was laparoscopic.”

Logsdon’s surgery was on a Friday and on Monday he was discharged. Connecting the kidney to his bladder required a 9-inch incision.

“I have a very physical job and I was back to it 10 weeks after the transplant,” he said. “All my lab work remains good. Probably about next February my hospital visits to Baltimore will become yearly.”

Logsdon said 11 people volunteered to be tested as donors. His brother was the first, but was disqualified. Anderson was second.

“Once they find a match they stop because the testing is expensive,” Logsdon said.

The recipient was back to coaching youth baseball even before returning to work and is now enjoying coaching youth football.

“Thousands of people are waiting for kidney transplants,” he said.

Information about the local fundraising ride is at www.kidneymd.org. Registration starts Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Western Maryland Railway Station at Canal Place.

The ride to Frostburg and back on the Great Allegheny Passage begins at 10 a.m.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.

http://times-news.com/local/x354158970/Facebook-helps-connect-local-man-to-kidney-donor