Einstein, Piedmont Hospital Performs First Paired Donation in GA

All Four Patients Meet For The First Time Via Webcam

ATLANTA, Georgia, Oct. 14, 2008 -- Marie Johnson didn’t think she was doing anything heroic when she offered to become an organ donor for her best friend Barbara Allen. Barbara had been on the organ donor waiting list for two years, and Marie simply wanted to help.

Barbara had been in a car accident in 1984 and her kidneys were damaged. She had a kidney transplant in 1990 from her sister that lasted 16 years. Unfortunately, she developed antibodies rejecting the kidney and none of her family members could donate. So her best friend was tested in hopes of matching. After Piedmont Hospital transplant coordinator Cheryl Manley told Barbara and Marie, both 48, that they were not a match, she asked if they would be interested in a paired donation.

While most living kidney donors donate to people they know, paired donation allows them to swap organs with unknown donors to create a compatible match. Creating a domino effect, one donor swaps with someone else who also wants to be a donor, allowing two individuals to receive a transplant. In this case, it took less than three months for the two of them to find a match.

On Friday, October 10, 2008 two kidney transplants occurred. At Piedmont Hospital, Barbara Allen of Newnan, Georgia received a kidney from 43-year-old Juan Ramirez, who had attempted unsuccessfully to become a donor for his sister, 46-year-old Daisy Ramirez. Both Juan and Daisy Ramirez are residents of Brooklyn, New York. Another Ramirez sister passed away years ago, and the family had donated her organs.

From left, Marie Johnson, donor, and Daisy Ramirez, recipient, meet their counterparts in Atlanta via webcast. Looking on is WPVI-TV (Ch. 6) health reporter Ali Gorman.

At Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Daisy Ramirez received a kidney from Marie Johnson. In both cases, neither recipient had met or known her donor previously. All four met today for the first time via webcam.

“The United Network of Organ Sharing reported this month that a new threshold was exceeded. For the first time 100,000 people are on the organ donor waiting list and the majority, over 76,000, are waiting for a new kidney from a deceased donor,” said John D. Whelchel, M.D., medical director of Piedmont Hospital Transplant Services.

“The new paired donation option allows us to help more transplant candidates across the country. In addition, a kidney from a live donor has a longer life than that from a cadaver donor. At Piedmont the entire transplant team is very excited about the chances to get more people off the waiting lists and back to a normal lifestyle.”

Radi Zaki MD, Chairman of Organ Disease and Transplantation of Einstein Medical Center, concurred: “Given the tremendous organ shortage throughout our nation, paired donation is an innovative strategy to increase transplantation where options were minimal before.”

For the past 40 years, Einstein Center for Kidney Transplantation has maintained a single focus – providing the highest quality patient care and service. As one of the Philadelphia region’s largest transplant centers, Einstein brings together expert medical staff with services that promote excellent outcomes and patient satisfaction. At Einstein, skilled transplant surgeons and kidney disease specialists provide advanced treatment options; a team approach to care, and comprehensive facilities. Dr. Zaki leads a team of surgeons physicians, nurses and support staff dedicated to giving life-saving treatments for patients that lead to better health and more active lives.

 

From left, Marie Johnson and Daisy Ramirez discuss their surgery for WPVI-TV (Ch. 6) reporter Ali Gorman (standing) as part of a report on their paired donation kidney exchange.

 

Click here to watch 6ABC's report on this story 

 

Contact: Diana Lewis, Piedmont Hospital, 404-605-3372
Contact: Alexis Moore, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, 215-456-6734

Publish date: October 14, 2008