Jessica Puchala
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM)- There’s proof in Grand Rapids today that one person’s generosity can affect many lives. It all started with an anonymous kidney donor in the Southern part of the United States who started a chain reaction.
From that one anonymous donor four people were able to get a kidney donation. That donor started a chain that reached from an unknown southern state to South Carolina, to Sacramento, California to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
One of those recipients is Sam Karadsheh. Here’s where it gets confusing. Sam’s sister Suhad wanted to give him her kidney, but she wasn’t a match and no other match could be found. As a result, Saint Mary’s Hospital’s Donor Coordinator signed Sam up on a donor exchange list. From there they were able to connect with the woman in Sacramento who donated her kidney to Sam. Now Sam’s sister is donating her kidney to a man in Rockford.
Suhad Shatara says, “I’m happy everything’s go good and I can’t wait to do mine actually. I ask the doctor today hey take a break go have cup of coffee and come to me because I want it done.”
From there the Rockford man’s wife will donate her kidney once she finds a match. So you can see why it is called the Paired Donor Exchange. It creates a chain that Missi Ostapowicz with Saint Mary’s Kidney Donor Program says not only saves a life but creates a bond.
Ostapowicz says, “It’s a special kind of donor I believe that comes forward and says I’m willing to go out of state and heal in an unfamiliar area, people I don’t know at a hospital, they are willing to do that for their loved one I think says something extra special.”
There’s no telling how long this chain could go. The longest one was 26 lives. It doesn’t cost the donor anything to donate their kidney.
April is organ donation month.