Old classmates share more than memories

A Largo man donates part of his liver to someone he hasn't seen since high school

By Marianne Klingel

Joe Polanis, left, and Joe Wharton

PINELLAS COUNTY -- High school friends share certain touchstones of life -- first dates, fast cars, rock'n' roll bands, Friday night football games, the old neighborhood, a collage of memories that brings back all of the ambitions and exhilarations of adolescence.

Years, even decades, go by, but the hold of those memories remains strong.

And so it was with Joseph Polanis and Joseph Wharton, two high school buddies from Port Jervis, N.Y. They ran together during the '70s, had themselves some times to remember, graduated and moved away, and lost touch for 30 years.

Until 2005, when Wharton donated 60 percent of his liver to Polanis, saving his life and changing his own forever.

In 2002, Polanis was living in Pennsylvania when he was diagnosed with terminal liver disease. His only hope of survival was receiving a liver transplant from a compatible donor. Polanis was placed on the National Transplant Waiting List; three years passed with no donor in sight.

In December of 2005, thousands of miles south in Largo, Joseph Wharton was browsing the Web for news about high school classmates and learned about Polanis's dire health situation. He called his old friend to ask, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Polanis answered, "Sure, give me a liver."

Enough said.

Although the two men hadn't seen each other since their 20s, the memories they shared of their old West End neighborhood were still strong.

As they talked, Wharton made a decision. "I knew I had to try to save his life."

Wharton began a journey that took them through countless doctor's offices, interviews and diagnostic tests. None of Polanis's relatives had been appropriate donors, but his old friend? A perfect match.

Still, it was no small decision. Wharton had to calm the fears of his wife, friends and family, including his mother Mildred Wharton of Pinellas Park who remembers, "At first, I was scared to death. It is one of the most serious operations you can have."

Doctors told Wharton that there was a real possibility he could die from the surgery. But Wharton was determined to do what it appeared only he could do, for his old friend.

And so he proceeded, making plans for an operation and recovery period that would demand every bit of his time and energy for months. A culinary manager at The Olive Garden in Clearwater, Wharton received unwavering support from his employer, Darden Restaurants. The organization provided him three months paid leave for the medical procedure and recovery and stood behind Wharton's decision wholeheartedly.

On June 2005, Polanis and Wharton were admitted to New York Westchester Medical Center and prepared for their subsequent surgeries.

During an eight-hour operation, doctors removed 60 percent of Wharton's liver and implanted it immediately into Polanis, whose surgery lasted 12 hours and revealed that without the new liver he would have had only weeks to live.

Although extremely rigorous, both surgeries were successful. After weeks in the hospital and months of home recovery time, the men are doing well. Most importantly, as the one-year anniversary of the surgery approaches, each man's liver has grown to a full-sized, functional organ again.

Polanis has strict dietary restrictions and requires sixteen pills a day at a cost of about $6,000 a month. His part-time job makes financial survival difficult, yet he is overwhelmingly grateful for Wharton's selfless donation that made his survival possible.

"If Joe hadn't come along, when he did, I would have died. What he did was way above a donation -- he gave me a second chance at life. We speak two-to-three times a day now and have a bond that can never be broken...we're like brothers."

Back in Florida, Wharton said he is feeling good, although still suffering some memory loss from the surgery.

When asked if he would do it over again, he answered, "Absolutely. It was not an easy task, but it was very rewarding to me to save Joe's life."

Wharton is working full-time again at The Olive Garden and re-emphasizes how great his employer has been.

"I can't say enough about how supportive Darden has been -- both of me and of the donor transplant program," he said.

His supervisors recently granted Wharton a week off with pay to go visit Polanis in New York and celebrate their continued health together.

Polanis agreed.

"Joe deserves a lot of credit, and so does his company. Darden backed him 100 percent -- if more companies did what they did, more people would step forward to donate organs," he said.

These days, life feels good to Polanis.

"Physically, I feel so much better than I did a year ago. I also feel thankful to be alive and treasure each day. Before I took things for granted, but now I realize how valuable life really is," he said.

They say that old friends are the best friends and in the case of Polanis and Wharton, that seems to be true. These two high school buddies, long separated by time and space, now share much more than memories. Thanks to Joseph Wharton...they share life itself.

Copyright © 2006 Tampa Bay Newspapers.

This article posted May 6, 2006.