Drive for Five: We Who Receive

The "Drive for Five" team has a monthly call where the gathered talk about the continued efforts to collaborate with strategic partners in encouraging more live organ donations and awakening America to its growing kidney crisis.

A variety of topics are discussed. Our recent October meeting was off the charts fun. Why? We heard from three different pairs of donor/recipient couples and the life-changing experience sharing a spare and saving a life can manifest between human beings, families around them and, perhaps, those exploring live organ donation.

My donor Cathie Hitchcock, Crissy Perham who gave to Dick Franklin and Sue Ferguson who did the same for Blair Garber. Six of us, forever bonded through the life-saving gesture Cathie, Crissy and Sue did for fellas with end-stage renal disease.

I’m gonna start with Sue and Blair. As they shared respective journeys uniting them forever, it struck your scribe of life’s ironies bringing Americans, anybody, together in ways never imagined. “I heard through the Tri Delta Sorority alum group that another member of the Tri-Delts from the University of Illinois had a husband who needed a new kidney,” Ferguson says. It’s what happened next that was magical. “I started watching the pleas on social media and decided, ‘Somebody needs to help this guy.’”

It didn’t take the former college volleyball player long to realize, that person was her. “I was middle-aged, no children and in good health.” Everyone on the call laughed when the duo shared their first meeting, in recovery, the day after transplant. “Blair barges into my room and says, let’s go for a walk.” Garber picked up from there, joking, “Sue basically told me to get the hell out of her room. She wasn’t ready just yet.”

Six years later? It’s a chuckle of endearment. Each is healthy. Ferguson says, “Best thing I’ve ever done.”

Same for Crissy Perham. USA Swimming alerted its members to Dick Franklin's need. He's the father of five-time Olympic gold medalist, Missy Franklin, the darling of the 2012 London Games. Perham won two golds and a silver in the butterfly in '92 Barcelona Games and answered what Dick describes as divine design. "Crissy has given me a chance to enjoy grandchildren and continue an already blessed life. My wife threw out a Hail Mary and this unbelievable woman answered it.”

I talk often in this DFF space about the self-inflicted wounds Americans administer these days with the kidney killers of high blood pressure, diabetes and excessive weight. But often, it’s kidney stones (Blair), Amyloidosis (McIntosh) or other conditions destroying the critical waste-filtering organs known as kidneys. “My whole family has a history of PKD II from my father’s side,” Franklin offered. “My brother received a deceased donor and my sister and I, less than three months apart, each received live organ donations.” Wow.

Whether from lifestyle, genes, rare diseases or anything else, America’s list of folks on dialysis, much like waistlines, is large and expanding. Respected studies say there’s about 550,000 on the life-sustaining procedure. That number, unfortunately, is expected to increase to about a million in the next decade. Not good unless investing in renal care.

Hitchcock, the angel in my midst, didn’t speak much during the Zoom but made an excellent point concerning the effective organ voucher system and its benefits. “When I found out my kidney could help someone else and move husband to the top of the list for a more compatible donor? It was a no-brainer.” Lucky me. Voucher info: https://shorturl.at/UPgqN

A few on the call await a transplant, some are testing to donate and others are in awe of the process. What one person has in excess can be offered to another in need, rarely with complications and the emotional boost from an altruistic gesture is heavenly. Said one participant to the childless Ferguson, “You didn’t have any children but you GAVE LIFE!”

Amen. Perham calls sharing her spare, “Better than gold and silver."

Hitchcock, Perham and Ferguson. Not a law firm. It's three incredible women who saved the bacon of three ol’ dudes with future plans not including dying prematurely of kidney failure.

Blessed are we who received. We need more feel-good stories like this. Wanna help? https://shorturl.at/m6YaP