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814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 7, 1998
Kidney Transplant Gives
Farm Wife New Lease On Life
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
Umz (Lancaster Co.) —Faye
Myer has a new lease on life.
“I wouldn’t be here,” she said,
“if it weren’t for receiving a
kidney.”
A farm wife, Faye always ate a
nutritious diet, stayed within her
weight range, and maintained a
healthy lifestyle. Normally
energetic, Faye was nonplussed
when she felt'a constant nagging
fatigue about five years ago.
At first, the doctor diagnosed
high blood pressure, but all efforts
to lower it proved fruitless.
Puzzled, the doctor ordered exten
sive testing about two years after
she began doctoring.
That’s when the diagnosis was
made that Faye had two diseased
kidneys.
‘They do not know what caused
it,” Faye said. “It’s possible high
Mood pressure caused it; on the
other hand, the high blood pressure
might have been the result of dis
eased kidneys.”
For almost a year after the diag
nosis, Faye was able to live a fairly
normal life by taking medication
and resting often. But it was scary
to know that she was expected to
become very ill before losing com
plete function in both kidneys.
Blood tests were taken every week
to monitor levels.
In January 1995, Faye needed to
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built a home on their farm. Although this was exciting, Faye
finds pleasure in ordinary happenings such as birds sing
ing and flowers growing. “It's like getting a new lease on
life,” she said.
undergo a hysterectomy. Doctors
were alarmed because the anesthe
sia is considered poison to dis
eased kidneys and a complete shut
down was expected.
Although tests showed the num
bers were on a downward slide,
doctors approved a tour to the Holy
Lands that Faye and her husband
Jim were scheduled to lead. Jim
combines fanning with pastoring
at White Oak Church of the Bre
thren and with traveling
evangelism.
Their suitcases were packed.
But one week before their sche
duled departure, Faye received the
fateful call.
“Everything came crashing
down then. The blood results
showed severe damage,” Faye
said. That was in March 1995.
Despite her pleas to participate
in the planned tour because she
was feeling fine, the doctor fore
warned her that she was going to
get extremely sick and that she
absolutely should not leave the
country.
The doctor’s predictions were
accurate. A week later, Faye
became seriously ill. She under
went an operation to have a cathe
ter inserted in her stomach in pre
paration for peritoneal dialysis.
Nightly, she hooked up to the
dialysis machine for eight hours of
cleansing.
Faye’s name was added to a list
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for kidney transplants. She was
number 2SO, and told that it would
probably take one to two years
before a match could be found.
About three months after her
name was placed on the list, Faye
received a phone call that a kidney
was available that was a close
match to hers.
“You are number two on the list
Pack your bags and be ready to
come,” she was told by the Her
shey Medical Center.
The Myers were just ready to go
out to eat with friends. They placed
the beeper and a mobile phone
under the table in the restaurant
when the call came.
The kidney had gone to some
one else.
The news was discouraging.
Also discouraging was the nause
ous feeling that plagued her.
Thinking there could be another
problem, the doctor arranged an
appointment with a specialist
Before the scheduled appointment
Faye received another call when
she and her husband were visiting
at her daughter’s home for Sunday
dinner.
This time, she was told a perfect
match was found. The kidney was
from a 14-year-old boy who had
been killed in an accident in
Oklahoma.
The kidney, packed in ice. was
being flown to Hershey and the
operation was to begin between
one and 2 a.m., Faye was told.
The Myers were estatic. A per
fect match is extremely rare. The
closer the match, the greater the
chance that the transplant will not
be rejected.
Jim and Faye went to Hershey
Medical Center immediately. Pre
parations for the operation were
made and fluids drained from her.
But the scheduled time for the
operation passed and the family
became alarmed that something
may have gone wrong. But at 8
a.m. on Oct 9,1995, doctors began
the operation that lasted until 2
a.m. the following morning.
Although Faye felt extremely
sick for several days, she was told
that the minute the kidney was in
place, it started working, which is
considered unusual.
Although she still felt ill, Faye
was sent home from the hospital
the following Sunday after the
operation. For a few weeks she
battled depression, no doubt a side
effect of the operation, but she
continued to grow stronger. ,
Today Faye mostly feels like her
perky self.
“I need to rest more often, but
many people tell me that tiring
more easily is typical of my age,”
Faye said. She is 57.
She and her husband Jim have
four married children and 10
grandchildren. She. often babysits
the grandchildren and entertains
family and friends.
Jim and Faye recently moved
from their large farm that bordered
Speedwell Lake to one of their
smaller farms a mile to the east
The Myers crop farm and raise
steers. A son took over the larger
family farm.
Faye enjoys cooking, baking,
entertaining, counted cross stitch,
reading, and working in flower
beds.
As is standard practice, Faye
was put on anti-rejection medicine
that she will need to continue for
the rest of her life. She needs to
swallow 19 pills daily. The medi
cine has unpleasant side effects
hair growth, weight gain, and puf-
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Jfbre iye . - a kidney transplant, she could not
fathom the Joy that organ donations bring to others. Now
she Is strong supporter of organ donation.
finess in the face. At first, it
seemed overwhelming to count out
all the pills, but now Faye has a
regular regime and considers it
part of her daily duties.
While the side effects of the
medicine are unpleasant, Faye
says cheerily, “It’s the price that I
pay to live.”
Since her kidney transplants,
new medicines have been deve
loped with less side effects. But
doctors are reluctant to change her
medicine since she is doing so well
medically. Switching medicines
now could cause medical
problems.
“The support of my family and
friends has really been important
throughout this,” Faye said.
“Above all I thank the Lord. I think
it’s really a miracle how every
thing woiked out so well.”
Every three months, Faye
returns to Hers hey Medical Center
for a checkup, and she secs a kid
ney specialist monthly.
“The numbers have always been
excellent,” Faye said of the calcu
lations that reflect kidney function.
“The transplant has really given
me a new lease on life. Some peo
ple ask me if it’s really worth the
pain of the operation. It definitely
is. I have a really good life com
pared to depending on dialysis.”
Faye doesn’t know the name of
the family of the 14-year-old
donor, but she was able to write a
letter of thanks to be passed on to
the family.
“It’s wonderful that people
donate their organs. It’s something
that never entered my mind until I
needed one,” Faye said.
Now she herself plans to donate
her organs.
The need for donor organs is
urgent. According to the Dept of
Health, especially needed are eyes,
kidneys, hearts, Avers, lungs, pan
creata, ear bones, ear drums, other
bones, and skin.
You can give someone else life
by donating an organ or other
tissues after death to those who are
critically ill and in need of a trans
plant If you prefer, you can donate
your entire body for medical edu
cational purposes. Donation of the
body is not necessary, however, in
order to donate specific organs and
tissues.
Each time you renew your driv
er’s license, you will be asked if
you want the “Organ Donor”
designation on your license.
The words will be permanently
placed on the driver’s license when
you say “yes.”
Previously issued licenses will
remain valid until its expiration
dates and may be used with an
“Organ Donor” sticker available
from the Pa. Dept of Health or by
calling 1-800-692-7254.
After indicating your wishes as
a donor, you must sign the card in,
the presence of two witnesses, who
then must sign the card in your pre
sence. Witnesses doe not need to
be family members but they must
be 18 years or older.
In specifying your donation on
the card, if you check (A), any
needed organs or tissues, it means
that any organs and tissues needed
at the time of your death may be
removed for transplantation. Your
body will be returned to your fami
ly for services and burial.
If you check (B), only the
organs or tissues specified, then
only the organs you check in the
boxes on the list will be donated.
Your body will be returned to your
family for services or burial.
If you check (C), “my body for
anatomical study,” you ate indicat
ing your desire to donate your
entire body for medical research
and educadonal purposes.
Contact Humanity Gifts Regi
stry for additional information at
130 S. 9th St. Suite 1550, P.O.
Box 835, Philadelphia, PA
19105-0835 or call (215)
922-4440.
Next-of-kin can also donate the
body or organs if the deceased did
not sign a donor card.
By the time a will is read, it is
too late to make use of donated
organs or tissues. Make sure your
next-of-kin and physician are
aware of your wishes.
A history of poor health does not
rule out organ donation. A com
plete medical assessment will be
made at the time of death. This will
reveal those tissues and organs that
are acceptable.
No additional costs are incurred
by organ donations. Neither are
payments made to the donor’s
heirs.
To find more out about trans
plants, call 1-800-893-1995. The
web site address is
www.ktppp.com.