Organ Donors, Recipients Celebrate Transplant Miracles

Nearly 100 Attend OHSU's 11th Annual Transplant Picnic, A Time To Talk Of Life, Health And Recovery

By Shabnam Daneshvar of The Oregonian staff

Huddled under tents against the drizzle, a group of organ donor and recipient families found themselves back at Oregon Health Sciences University talking with their doctors and nurses again. This time, however, their meeting was not to discuss prospects of death or waiting for organs.

"This is a celebration of life, the life of those who were at death's door and are now here . . . because of the miracle of their transplants and the family members of those who helped get them here," said nurse Margaret Allee, who directs OHSU's clinical transplant operations.

Nearly 100 people met Saturday at OHSU for the 11th annual transplant picnic, which brought together families who had either waited for organs or lost a loved one who had donated.

"Patients and their families get together and compare notes of their medication and how well they are doing," said Dr. Douglas Norman, professor of medicine and director of transplantation medicine at OHSU. "They also are able to see the nurses and doctors who took care of them in a much more comfortable and casual setting."

Judy and Ray Kent of Northeast Portland have come to the picnic with their 18-year-old daughter, Marie, for three years. Five years ago, Marie's immune system recoiled on her and attacked her kidneys. Instead of putting Marie on a long waiting list, the Kents decided to give their daughter an organ -- her mother's kidney.

"I couldn't imagine waiting," said Ray Kent, referring to Brandy Stroeder's wait for a dual lung and liver transplant. "Our situation was bad enough, but to have to wait around and see if everything works without being able to do anything" would be unimaginably difficult.

Jackie Schulze of Aloha agreed. Her 19-year-old daughter, Jennifer, died in a car accident five years ago, a day after Mother's Day. Keeping her daughter's wishes in mind, her heart was given to a man with congenital heart failure. The 49-year-old had waited only seven days before receiving the heart. The man remains healthy.

"Making that decision was the best gift Jennifer could have given us," Schulze said. "It was almost as if something was lifted because I felt like, 'Yes, I can do something good here.' " Jennifer had a code on her driver's license and spoke openly of her organ donation wishes, Schulze said. But not every family does that.

About 13 to 16 people die each day because of a lack of organs in the United States. In Oregon, 1.2 million people have donor codes on their licenses.

"We want to remind people of the 70,000 others who are waiting with Brandy Stroeder for organs," said Mary Jane Hunt, executive director of the Oregon Donor Program. "You have to tell your family of your wish . . . families have to be involved to bring medical and social history with them. High-risk behavior may prohibit someone from donating."

You can reach Shabnam Daneshvar at sdaneshvar@news.oregonian.com or 503-221-8375.

Copyright © 2000 Oregon Live.

This article posted August 9, 2000.