Gift of love, gift of life - Area man’s niece to donate kidney for second surgeryBy BARB LIMBACHER, T-R Staff Correspondent
STONE CREEK – It has been 35 years since Vernon Yoder of the Stone Creek area was given a second chance at life by receiving a kidney from his brother Andrew “Junior” Yoder of Tuscarawas.
On Thursday, Vernon Yoder, now 54, will receive another kidney – this time from his niece Christine Chavis of Gahanna.
Both of Yoder’s kidneys were removed about three weeks before his first transplant, which took place Oct. 17, 1972, in the Cleveland Clinic.
About 18 months ago, Yoder began to show signs of fatigue, and he knew something was not right. Results of a biopsy showed the kidney was being rejected. By February, Yoder’s kidney function was at 15 percent, and he knew it was time to add his name to the transplant list.
“My blood pressure was very high, and I failed a stress test,” he said. “I had a heart catheterization, but it didn’t show a heart problem. I began dialysis on Feb. 28 of last year.” Yoder undergoes dialysis three times a week in the Tuscarawas County Kidney Center at New Philadelphia.
It was in 1972, when Yoder, then 19, experienced kidney failure. The disease, known as nephritis, caused his kidneys to become gelled and stop filtering poisons from his body’s bloodstream.
“When I was 6, I along with my brother Ivan and a sister Katie all developed a strep infection. That is what caused the nephritis in me and Ivan. Ivan had two kidney transplants before he died,” Yoder said. “Katie recovered from the strep infection.”
He said his father, Andrew Sr., also was afflicted with kidney problems during his lifetime.
Chavis, a daughter of Katie Miller of Hilliard, wanted to be a donor after talking with her mother, who pointed out there is a five-year waiting period for a kidney transplant.
“In the fall of 2006, I agreed to donate a kidney but at that time didn’t know Uncle Vern needed surgery,” Chavis said. “I wanted to get into better physical condition before I donated a kidney.”
She said more than 100 letters were sent to family members trying to find a match for her uncle. In July 2007, she had a procedure done at Cleveland Clinic to determine whether she was a match.
“By September, I was cleared for the transplant,” she said. “I was in an auto accident in December, and my hand was fractured, which set us back.”
Chavis said she will have her left kidney removed, and her stay in the hospital should be only a couple of days.
“I received mixed responses about my decision, but this has completely changed my life,” she said. “I lost 27 pounds, and I changed my diet. It wasn’t about me, but this is for Vern.”
Chavis’ husband, Glenn, has been supportive of the decision.
Yoder has no idea how long the surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Venkatesh Krishnamurthi at the Cleveland Clinic, will last.
Yoder and his wife, Joy, attended training sessions at Cleveland about dialysis and kidney transplants. They have been married more than 30 years and have a daughter, Melanie, a teacher at Ragersville Elementary.
In 1996, Yoder had to give up his physical job and go on disability. He is coordinator of Bible lesson plans for kindergarten through 4th grades at NewPointe Church at Dover (formerly Sugarcreek Free Methodist), where he has been a member 25 years.
“I will definitely have more energy,” he said. “I also like to feed the birds and watch them, which I will enjoy more after the transplant.”
Yoder’s mother, the late Lizzie Ann Yoder, began the Holmes County Kidney Fund shortly after learning about the effects of her family’s genetic condition – kidney disease is hereditary – and discovering how much daily medications cost.
The fund was headed by Vernon Yoder for 28 years until his brother Marvin Yoder of Millersburg took over.
An auction is held the fourth Saturday of May at the Mount Hope Auction to provide assistance to Holmes County residents, primarily Amish, with diseased kidneys.
http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=77656&r=1
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