The Gift Of Life

By Jay Dickerson

editor@galgazette.com

December 24, 2003

"I had two healthy kidneys. But now one's over there and one's here," joked Lynn Giles, nodding at longtime friend Renee Dowe.

Dowe returns the smile. "She's my guardian angel, a blessed savior. She really is," said Dowe. The two women share a bond perhaps deeper than most may realize. One is an organ donor; the other the recipient.

It was the gift of life, the most precious gift one can give.

Dowe first knew something was wrong in March 2001, after an unrelated surgery. The surgeon noticed her creatinine levels were high, a sign of low kidney function.

The surgeon recommended her to a nephrologist, who confirmed the suspicions. Dowe's kidneys weren'tworking like they should. There were cysts; the kidneys would eventually have to be removed.

The kidneys clear waste from the blood by filtering out impurities, Dowe said. When the kidneys are poly cystic -- essentially, covered with cysts -- they lose the ability to clean out the toxins.

A dialysis machine, which provides an artificial means of cleaning the blood, is what many kidney patients end up on, waiting for a donor. Dowe said she was fortunate not to end up on dialysis; some patients will be on dialysis for years.

"The doctor told me I wasn't a good candidate for dialysis," she said. "But I was lucky to have a live donor."

In June 2001 her kidneys were working at about 30 percent of their full ability. Dowe visited a doctor frequently, every three weeks, to monitor the health of her kidneys. By 2002, her kidneys were functioning at 25 percent.

And by February 2003, they were down to 20 percent. Something needed to be done. A healthy donor needed to be found.

Dowe has no brothers or sisters, family members who would generally make a good match. A number of friends offered to be tested to see whether or not they would match. Giles was the first to offer.

And maybe it was meant to happen. Giles noted in 2001, when they first found out about her potential kidney illness, she asked Dowe what her blood type was. Dowe responded it was A positive.

"I said, 'Oh, you've got a kidney,'" Giles said, already a pillar of support for her friend.

The primary match is blood type, of which they are both A positive. There are, however, six other markers for tissue type. After extensive testing, it was found Giles only matched on one of the markers. It would have to be enough.

The surgery date was set for November.

Those with failing kidneys will often feel more fatigued and will suffer from high blood pressure. Beside some pain in her back, however, Dowe noted she wasn't necessarily feeling those symptoms. But the operation would happen soon. By the time of her operation, her kidneys were operating at 10 percent.

On Thursday, Nov. 13, the two women were in Iowa City, Iowa for the operations. Dowe was told her stay would be a week, possibly 10 days.

She didn't leave the hospital until 19 days later.

The Operation

While an organ transplant isn't necessarily a rare surgery, what needed to be done in Dowe's case was different. Before surgery, it was discovered Dowe had a cyst on her liver, the source of the pain in her back. The cyst would need to go, and because of the scar tissue after the kidney transplant, the surgeons decided to do everything in one six to seven hour surgery.

That hospital generally does two or three of those surgeries a year.

For Giles it was a simple operation. "It's easier to disconnect plumbing," she joked, adding the surgeons simply popped out a kidney. She left for home the following Saturday.

Dowe, however, wasn't doing as well. When the doctors removed her kidneys, they were huge. Normal kidneys are about the size of small hand. Hers were considerably larger, and covered with cysts.

In the days following the surgery, she developed a bacterial infection in her colon.

There was also the stomach pain and raised white blood count. Soon after the successful transplant, doctors discovered a surgical sponge had been accidentally left inside her. They operated to remove it Saturday, Nov. 22.

Her body's digestive system shut down, and her creatinine levels were rising, indicative of a failing kidney. The doctors performed a biopsy of the kidney -- a painful procedure for which Dowe was awake.

After the biopsy on Nov. 29, Dowe appeared to be on the road to recovery. She returned home the first day of December.

And she's savoring every moment.

Dowe has been taking a cocktail of medicines, antibiotics and pills that keep her from rejecting her new kidney. "My immune system's nothing right now," she said. Eventually, she'll have to take fewer medicines.

"I got the gift of life. I won't jeopardize it." Dowe notes the importance of organ donors. She had a live donor, and didn't have to be placed on dialysis. But there are those who have to wait, sometimes for years for a matching donor.

"People should consider becoming organ donors," she said. It's a simple as signing the back of the driver's license, and making certain family and loved ones know of the intent.

Life is returning to normal. Giles -- who works in Dubuque as a probation officer -- was able to return to work a couple of weeks after the surgery.

Dowe, who, with husband Steve owns the Perry Street Brasserie, also works in Dubuque at Barnstead International. She was healthy enough to attend their office Christmas party last week, and she plans on returning to work there in February.

Giles notes the event hasn't changed their strong friendship. Both have much to celebrate this holiday season.

'Meant To Be'

"It was meant to be," said Dowe with certainty. "It was divine intervention. Things just fell into place." The two women just happen to go to the same church, Grace Episcopal Church in Galena. They also just happen to meet in a Sunday breakfast group before church with some friends, which they've been doing for years now.

Even being in Galena was meant to be. Her family lived in Florida when Steve Dowe looked up an old friend, who just happened to work at Eagle Ridge. The friend also just happened to be looking for a food and beverage manager. Weeks later, the Dowes moved to Galena.

It's more than coincidence, they believe. The phrase "just happened" brings with it more than a small amount of serendipity.

There's also the accident Giles was in a number of years ago. Giles spent six weeks in the hospital after a car accident on U.S. 20.

But Giles was meant to live. She had something she was meant to share.

"She gave me the gift of life," said Dowe.

The two women share a bond perhaps deeper than most may realize. One is an organ donor; the other the recipient.

They share the gift of life, the most precious gift of all.

Copyright © 2003 The Galena Gazette.

This article posted January 11, 2004.