Eugene Mother Prepares To Donate Kidney To Son

Now 11 Years Old, Branden Shaw Has Waited To Receive A Kidney Since Before His First Birthday

From The Associated Press

EUGENE -- Eleven years after Jennifer Staniak gave birth to her son, she is preparing to give him the gift of life for a second time.

Staniak will donate one of her kidneys to her child, Branden Shaw.

The operation at Oregon Health Sciences University will come after years of infections, hospital stays and uncertainty. If successful, the transplant will give Branden more energy and, finally, some certainty of stable health for the foreseeable future.

"A lot of people say how neat it is that I'm doing this, but for me it is like 'Of course,' " Staniak said. "I would give my life for my child."

Branden was born with polycystic kidney disease, in which multiple cysts cause enlarged kidneys and interfere with their normal functions. Soon after his birth, doctors unsuccessfully attempted to insert a catheter and begin dialysis, a process in which the blood is cleaned outside the body.

Doctors at Doernbecher Children's Hospital planned to transplant a kidney into Branden a week before his first birthday, but the operation was delayed by complications with his blood work. Doctors sent the family home, telling the parents that for a child with his condition, Branden was doing well, Staniak said.

Doctors decided that an operation could wait until Branden's condition worsened.

"We went home to wait and see what happens, and we've been waiting for 10 years," she said.

Branden's one partially functioning kidney kept him alive, and only his small size -- he looks more like an 8 year old -- gave evidence of his medical problems. "He's always had just enough function to keep him going," said Tamara Pearson, Branden's aunt. "He's a tough little kid."

But now his kidney can't sufficiently clean waste from his blood, causing fatigue and difficulties concentrating on reading. He's finally scheduled to receive the kidney transplant at OHSU later this month.

It's fairly rare for children to have kidney transplants, with about 15 a year done at OHSU, said Debbie Whitehurst, a pediatric transplant coordinator at the hospital. The chance for success climbs to about 80 percent or higher when a donor organ comes from a blood relative, she said.

"It's pretty common that the parents do it if they can," Whitehurst said. Branden doesn't seem concerned about the upcoming operation, but Staniak admits to being a little afraid. "I always joke that I'm scared enough for both of us," she said. "Branden is just being his little trooper self. He may be scared but he sure doesn't let it get him down."

It's not the surgery itself that worries Staniak.

"For me it's really difficult because as a donor I can't be there with Branden," she said. Staniak, her husband, mother and Branden will move to Portland on Saturday, three days before the transplant. The family must stay close to the hospital for at least a month after the surgery so doctors can monitor Branden and his body's acceptance of his mother's kidney.

Copyright © 2000 Oregon Live.

This article posted August 14, 2000.