Two altruistic kidney donors come together to encourage donation

[Clark]

http://www.pontevedrarecorder.com/126338908.html

Two altruistic kidney donors come together to encourage donation
By Tia Lewis

Debbie Castroverde and Debbie Shearer have a lot more in common than just their names. Their cars are the same model and make, they both have the same license plate holder, “Miracle Maker, Kidney Donor,” and they both donated a kidney the second week of February, although in different years. The two now have a connection that has inspired them to team up to encourage others to donate.

Their relationship began when Castroverde read the article, “Would you give a kidney to a perfect stranger?” published in The Recorder Feb. 26 last year.

Castroverde said she remembers getting “chills.” Seven years earlier, The Recorder published a story on Castroverde, then Debbie Bryant, on her donation of a kidney to her friend, Cheri Vianello. The Feb. 26 article she read followed the story of another Debbie — Debbie Shearer — who donated her kidney in memory of her son, George, who signed up to be an organ donor before he passed away.

“Because of George’s multi-organ failure due to the sepsis,” Shearer said, “he was unable to donate his organs. I decided to be an altruistic kidney donor to anyone that needed it and was willing to travel wherever I was called.” As a result, George’s Chain of Life was started. Six families have been affected already, and the chain will continue to grow as each family that receives a needed kidney passes on an unneeded kidney to someone new.

 The day after the article on Shearer came out, Castroverde contacted her on Facebook, touched by her donation and the story of her son. “I thought to myself that I have something to tell this person,” Castroverde said. “She’s already heard from hundreds of people how brave and amazing she was, but I wanted to give her some information about [the] years down the road still living normally with one kidney.”

“[When] Debra reached out to me on Facebook ... I immediately liked her because she asked me to forgive her for ‘stalking me out,’” said Shearer. From there, Castroverde served as Shearer’s “spoonful of sugar,” sharing her own donation story and assuring her there were “better days” ahead.

 In 2010, the two began discussing a possible nonprofit in George’s name, which is still in the works but is coming together. “The name will be ‘KIDS’ [Kidney/Kids] by George,” said Shearer. Her vision is to have the foundation serve two parts: help kids in poor financial situations attend sports camps and fund people who would like to donate a kidney but may not be able to because of the costs of traveling and time off from work. “It is all happening because of George,” she said.

As they work on the nonprofit, Shearer and Castroverde continue to encourage people to donate as well.

“Today I am stunned by people’s reaction when they hear about my donation,” said Castroverde. “[Some say], ‘I could never do that.’ My usual comeback is why? We are born with two [kidneys] but only need 1/3 of one kidney to lead...a normal life. My right kidney has compensated for having both...and it’s as good as it was when I had two.”

“[Kidney donating] is not a decision to made lightly, and one that needs to be discussed with your health care provider first,” said Shearer. “The testing is ongoing in the beginning and once a match is found, they continue to do more testing up until the day of the transplant.”

For anyone interested in learning more about altruistic donating, contact the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation at (419)866-5505 or visit their website at www.paireddonation.org

For those who are afraid to give a major body part like a kidney but still want to help, Castroverde suggests becoming a bone marrow donor. “Registering is very easy and you can enroll online at www.marrow.org,” she said. Donating bone marrow can save the life of someone with leukemia, myeloma, or a genetic and immune system disorder.

“I honestly think that we all have a spirit of ‘giving’ in us but we may not know exactly how or what do with it,” Shearer said.

“[After donating my kidney], I felt whole,” said Castroverde. “Donating to Cheri saved her life, but it also saved mine. It’s one of the most spectacular feelings to know you made a difference. I would do it again and again and again if I could.”