A Father’s Day to Remember
Local man receives the gift of life from a stranger.
Boca Raton, Florida (PRWEB) June 14, 2007
Dr. Sam Leder will have much to celebrate this Father’s Day. With his loving family surrounding him, he is bound to receive numerous presents. But the gift that is likely to mean the most to Leder is the one he received yesterday at University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Medical Center — the gift of life.
Leder, a retired veterinarian, underwent kidney transplant surgery on June 13th, receiving an organ donation from a living donor. While the surgery is not uncommon — statistics from the National Institutes of Health estimate approximately 17,000 kidney transplants are performed each year — the circumstances surrounding this one were unusual because the donor was, until a few months ago, a complete stranger.
Mollie Kinsey, a resident of Cashiers, North Carolina says she responded to a “Letter to the Editor” that Sam’s wife Rhonnie wrote in November 2006 to the Crossroads Chronicle, the local newspaper. After reading Rhonnie’s plea for a kidney for her husband, Kinsey called the Leders to say that she felt it was something she needed to do. She underwent extensive testing and was officially identified as a viable match in December 2006.
According to the American Society of Transplantation, more than 95,000 individuals in the U. S. are presently in need of a kidney transplant. Today, patients needing kidney transplants must receive an organ from a family member or friend who is willing to serve as a living donor, or enroll on a waiting list for organs from deceased individuals who had indicated their desire to donate a kidney to an anonymous recipient. All members of his immediate family were willing to donate a kidney to Sam, but none was a match. Many patients each year have a family member or friend who is willing to donate a kidney, but he or she is not biologically compatible to the person needing the transplant. As a result, many patients remain on the waiting list until another suitable donor can be found.
Leder had been on dialysis for two years, receiving four-hour treatments three times a week. While the dialysis has kept him alive, the treatments have been both time-consuming and debilitating. After watching her once-vibrant husband’s quality of life steadily deteriorate, Rhonnie decided to take action. While she never lost hope for a donor, Rhonnie says, “I was elated and humbled by Mollie’s offer…she is our Angel.”
“I think it’s important to tell this story,” Rhonnie commented. “I think potential donors need to know they don’t have to be afraid to give, and recipients need to know they don’t have to wait on a list.”
This Father’s Day will be like no other for both the Leder and Kinsey families. Mollie’s husband, children and mother traveled with her from Cashiers to Miami to support her and to be together on Sunday. After the surgery Mollie will be able to lead an entirely normal life with one kidney—without any limitations or special needs in the future. With Mollie’s kidney entrusted to Sam, his chances of long-term survival are good.
The point is that he will have a life, and hopefully many more Father’s Day celebrations, thanks to the gift of life from a stranger.
Media Contact: Tara Leder Biller, (561) 504-3893
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