A few minutes with ... a woman with a 100-year-old kidney

[Karol]

A few minutes with ... a woman with a 100-year-old kidney

Jim Schaefer interviews Angie Done of Troy about the donor kidney she received in 1974. It just turned 100. The donor was a very special man.

Jim Schaefer/Detroit Free Press VIDEO LINK BELOW

Angie Done is 66, but part of her is much older.

When she was a young woman, Done's kidneys failed. She received a new kidney from a 58-year-old donor. The transplant at Detroit's Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital in 1974 went very well.

The donor died years later, at 76. But his kidney lives on inside Done.

That kidney lives on, and on, and on. It just hit the century mark, and is still getting a thumbs-up from her doctors at Beaumont Health Systems.

The man who donated it to Angie Done was someone she loved:

Her father.

QUESTION: Angie, tell me why you needed a new kidney.

ANSWER: I needed a new kidney because of chronic kidney disease that resulted, ultimately, in failure. ... At age 24, my kidneys completely shut.

So both of them needed to go. And so you got one new kidney. Was it a lifesaver for you?

Yes. Because at the time hemodialysis was not as sophisticated as it is now. Or computerized. They looked like big Lady Kenmores (washing machines).

Is that right?

Yes. And I was on about nine or eleven times. And they started searching for a donor. … My father stepped up, at age 58, and said, "I'm going to be the one to donate." And at the time, that was considered to be too old to donate. Not now, but it was back (almost) 42 years ago.

Was a kidney transplant very common back in the day?

It was becoming more common. It was a very dangerous procedure. But, again, they were starting to make progress. Antirejection, how to dose the patient with antirejection medication. And newer medications were on the horizon.

Your kidney is 100 years old.

It is.

How's it doing?

Relatively speaking, it's in a normal range for me. Blood chemistries are quite normal. I'm not on any special diet. They watch me more closely these days because of the age of the transplant and the age of the kidney.

Has that happened before that you know of? That somebody has had a transplanted organ that has lived so long?

I do believe so. It was mainly twin-to-twin matches. Identical twins are perfect. I don't know any more statistics. I do think I'm probably one of the oldest-surviving for the times.

Do you still have to take antirejection medicine?

Low-maintenance dose, Jim.

Wow. Are you somewhat of a miracle?

I think Dad probably is looking down, sayin' "Yup!"

That's awesome. How are YOU feeling?

Fantastic.

So your kidney has outlived the odds. And no signs of stopping.

Not really. They are just watching me closely. I am grateful for the 41 years.

That's great. How did it come about that your father became the donor?

My father and I were always very, very close. We were a very close-knit, Italian-American family. And my father was devastated when he found out my kidneys were down. And he offered to be tested for transplantation. They said ... "You're 58 years old. That's really doubtful."

The doctors told him that?

"Oh, we're going to test you to humor you." And the rest is history. They found him to be in perfect health. No high blood pressure, nothing. And an extremely good match.

Wow. What a tremendous gift.

Absolutely. You might say he gave me life. My mom and dad gave me life twice.

Now your father is no longer with us. When did he die?

'91.

1991. Yet some of him still lives inside you today, this many years later. How does that feel knowing that part of him lives with you? You were close, you said.

Very close. Same wacky sense of humor. He was much smarter. He was very good with technology and math. And I like to write poetry, so we kind of balanced each other out. He loved his children. I have a sister, an older sibling… and he loved us both so much. He was bound and determined to donate. And as luck would have it, as blessings would have it, from above, it worked out. Thanks, Dad.

What was your father's name? I think we should tell the world.

Dominic. Dominic Presty.

Contact Jim Schaefer: 313-223-4542 or jschaefer@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DetroitReporter.

Video http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/04/25/minutes-woman-year-old-kidney/26376113/