Gwen McNair-Riley, left, received at kidney from Brandi Kirkpatrick |
DENVER - Two Denver women share a special bond, now that one donated a kidney to the other. But this 'gift of life' swap came about almost by accident.
Brandi Kirkpatrick, a teacher in Montbello, learned about the condition of the parent of one her students at recess, from another teacher. Quadra Riley's mom, Gwen McNair-Riley, suffered kidney failure 10 years ago. Over the past five years she has been going through weekly dialysis, waiting for almost five years for a donor kidney.
When Brandi, who is white, offered Gwen, who is black, a kidney, the odds of their blood types being a match were slim.
"If there are floating anti-bodies in the blood of Ms. Riley, this whole process could have been in trouble," said Presbyterian/St. Luke's transplant coordinator Kelli Jantz. "But in spite of the racial difference these two were compatible and the rest is history."
"I can't believe we only had surgery two days ago," said Kirkpatrick. "I feel fine thanks to a new laparoscopic noninvasive procedure."
Through tears of joy, McNair sobbed," She has given me the gift of life for sure! I will now be able to travel, get full time work, and work on my degree."
In America, more than 90,000 people are waiting for a donor kidney. In Colorado there are 1,300 waiting for a donor. At the Denver center, about 50 transplants are done each year, with a 97% success rate. Now, they have an inter-racial transplant in the books as well.
The Divine Journey donor support group is working with Brandi as she transitions into the recovery period expected to last two months. The group uses donations to help those who donate organs make ends meet while they are off the job.
Brandi Kirkpatrick, a teacher in Montbello, learned about the condition of the parent of one her students at recess, from another teacher. Quadra Riley's mom, Gwen McNair-Riley, suffered kidney failure 10 years ago. Over the past five years she has been going through weekly dialysis, waiting for almost five years for a donor kidney.
When Brandi, who is white, offered Gwen, who is black, a kidney, the odds of their blood types being a match were slim.
"If there are floating anti-bodies in the blood of Ms. Riley, this whole process could have been in trouble," said Presbyterian/St. Luke's transplant coordinator Kelli Jantz. "But in spite of the racial difference these two were compatible and the rest is history."
"I can't believe we only had surgery two days ago," said Kirkpatrick. "I feel fine thanks to a new laparoscopic noninvasive procedure."
Through tears of joy, McNair sobbed," She has given me the gift of life for sure! I will now be able to travel, get full time work, and work on my degree."
In America, more than 90,000 people are waiting for a donor kidney. In Colorado there are 1,300 waiting for a donor. At the Denver center, about 50 transplants are done each year, with a 97% success rate. Now, they have an inter-racial transplant in the books as well.
The Divine Journey donor support group is working with Brandi as she transitions into the recovery period expected to last two months. The group uses donations to help those who donate organs make ends meet while they are off the job.
