Mayo Clinic Physician Who Donated Kidney to Stranger to be Honored at Rose Parad

[Clark]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mayo-clinic-physician-who-donated-kidney-to-stranger-to-be-honored-at-rose-parade-2011-10-03

PRESS RELEASE
Mayo Clinic Physician Who Donated Kidney to Stranger to be Honored at Rose Parade

Jim Haemmerle, M.D., a Mayo Clinic Health System physician from Menomonie, Wis., has been selected to ride on Donate Life America's "One More Day" float at the 123rd Annual Rose Parade(R) in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 2, 2012.

The Donate Life float's riders and floragraph honorees represent millions of people touched by organ and tissue donation. Riders must have a personal connection to donation as the family member of a deceased organ, eye or tissue donor; a living organ donor; or a recipient of an organ, tissue or cornea transplant.

Dr. Haemmerle, an orthopedic surgeon, has dedicated his career to helping patients overcome illness and injury. But, in his mind, that just wasn't enough. So, on Feb. 9, 2010, he donated his left kidney to someone he had never met, a carpenter and farmer from rural Minnesota who has four children.

"It just felt like the right thing to do for a fellow human being," says Dr. Haemmerle. "I'm grateful that my family and I have been blessed with generally good health. Perhaps this was a way to express that gratitude."

But Dr. Haemmerle underestimated the ongoing positive impact the donation would have on him. "I've gained much more from the experience than I've given," he says. "I'm aware every day that life is a precious gift, and I'm grateful for my health, my family and all of the opportunities life offers. I hope I have many more years of good health, and I hope my left kidney will outlive me."

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