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Tony Brady (right) with kidney donor and friend Ken Kuiper.
See moving video of how this long-distance transplant came about.
Tony and I have known each other for about 22 years. The relationship started out as one of him being a customer of the company I was working for and developed into a casual friendship, where we would speak or email a couple of times a year, and see each other at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
It was at that meeting about two years ago that Tony did not show up to his company’s booth. I inquired to some mutual friends to see if he was coming and they indicated that Tony was on permanent disability and was not working anymore, and they did not know what had happened.
When I returned home after the meeting I called Tony and found out his situation with having had one kidney removed and being on dialysis. He told me about being on the donor list at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He had done a lot of research and homework on many programs, and this was the best one for him and his family. I asked what was involved in becoming a donor and he said a person needed to take a blood test to see if there was any compatibility. He shared with me that he was type O positive, and at that point I told him so was I, and off I went to get a sample up to the University.
"We Could Be Brothers ..."
About two weeks went by and the nurse called and told me that if she did not know that Tony was of Caribbean background and that I was from a white European background, that we could be brothers because there was no reaction between Tony’s blood and my blood when it was mixed together.
That started a learning process for me, in which I was educated by the University of Maryland on the donor process. I learned that more organs are donated by living people than cadavers, and was very intrigued by the laparoscopic procedure used, making it much easier on the donor to give and to recover. That led me to begin the qualification process, which involved a very thorough examination. I was told that I could always change my mind if I did not think I could handle it.
About 10 months went by before I got the word that I could donate my kidney to Tony. We shared a great moment on the phone together during that announcement.
The day before the operation gave us a chance to be together with both our families. It was a great outcome, and made going through the procedure much easier.
An Easy and Pain-Free Recovery
Once the kidney was removed and transplanted into Tony, I found the recovery very easy. I was sitting up and actually walked a little on the same day as the surgery. I had no pain whatsoever. I followed the doctors’ program for recovery, which included checking the wounds, doing follow-up exams and lab workups and avoiding any strenuous lifting or traveling for six weeks.
The incisions from the surgery were very small, which made the recover very easy and pain free. I also had some follow-up checkups and lab work to insure I was doing OK. After a six-week recovery, I was back doing all the things I did before the transplant.
I was elated to see Tony as I was being wheeled out of the recovery room. He was sitting up and he told me how euphoric he felt as soon as he woke up. The great news was the kidney began to work instantly!
A Lasting Bond
Tony and I have developed a deeper friendship because of this, and our families and my relatives, who all live near Tony, stay in touch on a frequent basis as Tony and his family are now our family too.
Tony and I decided to use our good fortune and communicate it in such a way as to “Pay it Forward” to let people see our story in hopes that it will make a difference in someone else’s life.
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