Living Donor Helps Co-Worker
Carrie Gaul, of Clarksville, Ohio, had occasionally thought that she would be willing to be an organ donor - someday. She was listed as a potential donor on her driver's license, but hadn't given the matter much more thought, until she learned that family friend and coworker Gary Barr needed a kidney transplant.
Barr had been experiencing symptoms including tightness in his chest, ashen skin and back pain. He was diagnosed with Light Chain Deposition Disease. His body was producing an excess of elements known as light chains, which build up in organ tissue. In Barr's case, the deposits were causing kidney failure. He began dialysis and learned that he would require a kidney transplant.
Barr visited leading institutions in both Cincinnati and Cleveland, and, at his son's urging, OSU Medical Center in Columbus. There, he knew he had found the right place. "I was impressed by the technology and the expertise I encountered," he says.
He was not alone in his choice. "Eighty percent of transplants are done in academic centers because the surgeries require an organized multidisciplinary approach," says Ronald Ferguson, MD, PhD, the surgeon who performed Barr's transplant.
Having found the right place, Barr needed to find the right donor. Although thousands of Americans have to wait on transplant lists until an organ becomes available, Barr was fortunate to have several family members and friends who wanted to help. Perhaps none was more determined than Carrie Gaul. When she learned of Barr's condition, she says, she thought about it for a short time, and then "I called Gary and told him I really wanted to do this for him."
The necessary tests were run to determine if they were a good match. The donation and transplant surgeries were performed at OSU in June 2005, and both Gaul and Barr have recovered well. Since the donation, Gaul says, "I walk taller every day. It's like nothing you can ever compare, knowing that you helped save someone's life."