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| Vol. 22, No. 4 |
| March 1, 2000 |
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A Valentine Gift from the Heart ...or the Kidney by STEFANIE ASIN Methodist Health Care System Cindy Hudson gave more than chocolate hearts to her husband for Valentine's Day. She gave him one of her kidneys. Billy, her husband of 25 years, suffers from a recurring kidney disease and was in desperate need of a transplant. Waiting for a cadaver kidney could have taken 18 months - and he didn't have time to spare. So his wife offered one of hers.
On Feb. 10, Hudson underwent surgery to remove her left kidney for transplantation into her husband. Drs. Graham Guerriero and Wade Rosenberg performed the surgeries, achieving the milestone 1,000th kidney transplant at The Methodist Hospital. This transplant was not Billy's first. In 1982, he received a kidney from his brother and then from a cousin in 1987 after the disease re-infected his new kidney. His wife, who shares his blood type, was able to donate hers because of the advances made in anti-rejection medications. On the morning of the surgery their stretchers were side-by-side in the pre-op area, close enough to allow them to hold hands. A hand squeeze goodbye and they were taken to separate operating rooms. About two hours into the surgery, Hudson's kidney was removed, placed in a stainless steel basin, carried to the operating room down the hall, and transplanted into her husband. In fewer than 10 minutes, blood was flowing through the new kidney, turning it from a pale white to reddish pink. "I have had so many wonderful years with my husband, I want to be sure I have many more. This is really more for me because I want to have him around for much longer," said Hudson, who married her husband when she was15. Billy's disease, FSGN, is an autoimmune disease that attacks the kidney, leading to the build up of scar tissue. Scar tissue does not function and eventually results in renal failure. As the kidney fails, it cannot retain protein in the body, causing malnutrition and other serious side effects. The couple and their three daughters have been riding the emotional waves that accompany the transplant process. In December, he came to TMH for his third kidney transplant but preoperative tests showed unrelated blockage in his coronary arteries. Instead of getting a kidney, he underwent bypass surgery. Recovered from that surgery, the Hudsons were ready for yet another life-saving transplant. On Feb. 9, the Hudsons arrived at TMH from Brownwood, Texas, nervous, but excited about getting Billy healthy again and back into their active lives. With that connection, the 1,000th kidney transplanted at TMH had taken place.
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/03_01_00/page_04.html |
