Local generosity brightens woman’s holiday season

Local generosity brightens woman’s holiday season

By BRIAN LOTHRIDGE
Era Reporter
Altruism is alive and well in the Twin Tiers this holiday season.

An Era story about former Bradfordian Lisa Ramer needing a kidney transplant attracted the attention of two generous people.

A $500 check for Ramer came to the Era the same day the story appeared in the Era (Nov. 23). The donor could not be contacted by press time and will not be identified.

Olean, N.Y., resident Jason Gallik, 20, called the Era three days later. He said he wanted to donate a kidney to Ramer.

It wasn’t a decision he took lightly.

“I decided I wanted to donate (a kidney) a long time ago,” he said.

Gallik, formerly of Bradford and a 2005 graduate of Bradford Area High School, had family members who were on dialysis when he was eight or nine-years-old. They eventually died from kidney complications, he said.

Ramer has been on dialysis for over two years. She hasn’t been able to work because dialysis treatments take up many hours and potential employers can’t work around her appointments.

She was diagnosed in 1997 with glycocidic vasculitis with essential mixed cryoglobulimia, a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the blood and various other body systems. The disease caused numerous complications for Ramer including kidney failure, numerous large ulcers, anemia and congestive heart failure. Ramer has been hospitalized nearly 50 times, been in a coma and nearly died from the disease a few times.

Money has been extremely tight the last 10 years, as Ramer raised two daughters on her own and sold her home in Bradford to move closer to hospitals in Hershey and Harrisburg.

To hear that a complete stranger, and a younger one at that, wanted to donate a kidney to her was a complete shock to Ramer.

“This is just a miracle,” she said Monday evening. “This is amazing. There are not a lot of people that are that altruistic.”

Gallik, who aspires to earn a registered nursing degree, said he isn’t looking for any recognition. He has seen what family members have gone through and he knows how hard it can be for people battling an illness when money is tight.

Gallik, who aspires to earn a registered nursing degree, said he isn’t looking for any recognition. He has seen what family members have gone through and he knows how hard it can be for people battling an illness when money is tight.

“Sometimes you just have to help someone whether you know them or not,” he said.

Giving a kidney is not a simple donation. The process is not easy and takes time, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Donors must have complimentary blood types with receivers in many cases, must be in good health, must be willing to withstand kidney removal surgery and the pain associated with the surgery and recovery. Donors undergo an extensive pre-screening process to see if they are able to be a donor. They are not financially compensated for their donation or any related expenses such as lodging, travel and time off of work.

Gallik said he understands the risks involved, but isn’t worried about them.

“I’m ready and waiting,” he said.

Ramer has an appointment Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she plans to get the transplant done. The appointment is one of her final in her screening process to be included on the center’s kidney donation list.

“I can’t wait to have it done,” she said.

She plans to contact Gallik following the visit to let him know what the next step will be. The two will probably make plans to meet in person, Gallik said.

Ramer should have been on the list two years ago but the thought of another hospital bill scared her away from it, she explained.

But she wants to work and she wants to live a normal life again.

“I want to move forward so much and get on with my life,” she said.

Gallik said he realizes it may not work out.

“... I would feel bad for her because I wasn’t a match, but I would know that I did something to try to help someone out,” he said.

There are two possible solutions if Gallik is not a match. The medical center could find another donor/receiver pair made up of a donor who matches Ramer’s blood type and a receiver who matches Gallik’s. Another solution is immune conditioning, a process that involves medications, spleen removal, and blood filtering prior to the transplant.

In the meantime, Ramer has found an apartment in the Harrisburg area that only carries a six-month lease. She moves from her current residence next Saturday and remains optimistic that things will work out. She has been worried about running out of money and winding up homeless, she said.

“I’m not going to let that happen. I will not,” she said.

http://www.bradfordera.com/articles/2007/12/02/news/doc4750e1e4d8a85207842548.txt

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