December is a complex emotional time for many, and for many of us. Right off, we recognize the tremendous courage and brotherly love demonstrated by Ron Herrick 69 years ago. I am tremendously privileged to have met Ron nearly 20 years ago, and to have personally thanked him for going first, not just for myself, but on behalf of all of us who've followed his lead. Witnessed by the then president of the OPTN/UNOS, it led to my invitation to service on UNOS board committees and subsequent election to the board of directors to be one of the first living donor representatives to the board.
Bookending this list, the most recent entry is actually the first anniversary of the passing of Elizabeth's brother. COVID-19 was and still is dismissed by many, incomprehensibly to those of us who lost loved ones and dear friends, and those of us still masking in public, either for reasonable concern in our post donation state, or on behalf of our immunocompromised loved ones. We may be masking in public for years to come.
As always, these anniversaries mark hopeful acts of love and courage. As always, the majority are memories of joyful, complete success for all. As always, there are memories of heartbreak. Whatever these memories evoke for you, we remember with you and are here to share joy and sadness, as you may wish to share. Best wishes all. Happy holidays!-John, a.k.a. "Clark" on LDO!
Sixty-ninth anniversary:
Ronald Herrick donated a kidney to his brother on December 23rd, 1954, the first successful solid organ transplant. Ron died at age 79 on December 27th, 2010. Ron was the first living organ donor, to his twin brother, Richard. Joseph Murray, the plastic surgeon who convinced them and their surgical teams that he had figured a way around the immune response, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Fortieth anniversary:
Jann K. Armantrout donated a kidney to sibling Mark J. Armantrout on December 12th, 1983
Thirty-eighth anniversary:
Robert A. Hancox donated a kidney to his sister on December 11th, 1985
Thirty-second anniversary:
Juanita DeVeaux donated a kidney to her daughter on December 4th, 1991
Twenty-ninth anniversary:
Natalie Cardoza donated a kidney to her sister on December 21st, 1994
Twenty-eighth anniversary:
Emmitt Lee Lewis donated a kidney to his little brother, Glen, on December 8th, 1995. Emmitt's daughter, Deborah Lewis-Grimes, says they were the first African-American living donor-recipient siblings in the US.
Sheila Leander donated a kidney to her husband, Brian, on December 27th, 1995
Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Gregory F. Welsh donated bone marrow to Maria Hall on December 6th, 1996
Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Heather Roberts donated a kidney to her father in December, 1999. He died in 2012, with kidney function still good.
Cheryl McCullough donated part of her liver to her husband on December 14th, 1999
Twenty-second anniversary:
Phillip Ondler donated a kidney to his sister on December 14th, 2001
Bob Jauch donated part on his liver to his daughter on December 20th, 2001
Janice O'Connell donated a kidney to friend on December 26th, 2001
Twenty-first anniversary:
Bill Shummel donated a kidney anonymously on December 17th, 2002
Twentieth anniversary:
Micheline donated a kidney to a friend on December 5th, 2003
Kevin donated part of his liver to his father on December 8th, 2003
Barbara Sher Cohen donated a kidney to her brother on December 9th, 2003
Larry Miller donated a kidney to his daughter on December 16th, 2003Melanie Wallace donated a kidney to a stranger on December 16th, 2003
Kathryn Jones donated part of her liver to a friend on December 18th, 2003. Her friend died two months later.
Bev donated a kidney to a stranger on December 23, 2003
Elizabeth A. Miller donated a kidney to a friend on December 30th, 2003
Lisa Ornelas donated a kidney to her sister on December 30th, 2003
[/size]Nineteenth anniversary:
Sarah Wright donated a kidney to her brother on December 1st, 2004
Becky Livingston donated a kidney to her cousin on December 12th, 2004
[/size]Eighteenth anniversary:
Peggy Espinoza donated a kidney to her sister, Gloria, on December 6th, 2005
Mary Kirk donated a kidney to her brother-in-law on December 6th, 2005
Charlotte Buckley donated a kidney to a friend's mother on December 7th, 2005
Jay Paustian donated a kidney to a friend on December 13th, 2005
Amanda Gedraitis donated a kidney anonymously on December 15th, 2005
Coleen Damon donated a kidney to her mother on December 27th, 2005
[/size]Doug Boston donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on December 28th, 2005
Seventeenth anniversary:
Meghan McGrail donated a kidney to her uncle, Danny Cavicchi, on December 5th, 2006
Rick Hodgkins donated a kidney to his mother on December 7th, 2006
Brian Earnshaw donated a kidney to his uncle on December 12th, 2006
Wayne Ellenberger donated a kidney to a stranger on December 12th, 2006
Mary Lou Hery donated a kidney to her daughter on December 22, 2006
Billie Ward donated part of her liver to an unrelated recipient on December 22nd, 2006
Lisa donated a kidney to her daughter on December 27th, 2006
Sixteenth anniversary:
Louise in Canada donated a kidney to an anonymous unrelated recipient on December 3rd, 2007
Sylvia Toler donated a kidney to her husband, Steve, on December 4th, 2007
Connie Watts donated to her cousin on December 7th, 2007
Christine Robinson made a non-directed donation on December 11th, 2007
Eric Savage donated a kidney to his father on December 18th, 2007
[/size]Brett Menzy donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on December 18th, 2007
Fifteenth anniversary:
Craig Tohill donated a kidney to his Aunt Sue on December 7th, 2008
Tom Moore donated a kidney to his brother on December 9th, 2008
Joshua donated a kidney to a stranger on December 10th, 2008
Philip R. Knisely donated a kidney to his co-worker, Jose Luis Vara, Jr., on December 30th, 2008
Fourteenth anniversary:
Rob Upham donated a kidney to Sandra Erice on December 7th, 2009
Pamela Hull donated a kidney in the 2009 Georgetown exchange (one of 13 donors) so her cousin could receive a kidney on December 8th, 2009
Matt Knowles donated a kidney to his wife on December 9th, 2009
Kimberly Jensen donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Bill Flitton, on December 9th, 2009
Bill Martinez donated a kidney to his cousin, Nicholas, on December 9th, 2009
Gina Mingrone became a non-directed donor in the New England Paired Kidney Exchange (NEPKE) on December 15th, 2009, initiating a chain of donors and recipients from Maine to New Jersey and back!
Kara Lucca donated a kidney as 1 of 13 donors in a nationwide chain on December 17th, 2009, while her husband was 1 of 13 recipients
[/size]Lori Wagner donated a kidney to her father on December 29th, 2009
Thirteenth anniversary:
Ellie started a non-directed kidney donor chain on December 16th, 2010
Twelfth anniversary:
Jody Woodward made a non-directed kidney donation on December 8th, 2011
Curtis donated a kidney in a chain on December 12th, 2011
Kathy Melish donated part of her liver to her husband's cousin's son, Michael, on December 12th, 2011
Stephanie Marie donated a kidney to Selina, an unrelated person, on December 13th, 2011
Jane donated a kidney to her brother Tom on December 14th, 2011
Lisa Goldberg donated a kidney to her father, Larry Berg, on December 15th, 2011
TG Gordon donated a kidney to her brother on December 16th, 2011
Eleventh anniversary:
Harjit Dhahan Hallan donated a kidney on December 10th, 2012
Donna Aronne donated a kidney to her husband on December 13th, 2012Renee Romero donated a kidney to her father, Wendell Douberly, on December 21st, 2012
Tenth anniversary:
Melissa Vizenor made an unrelated kidney donation to Rachel on December 2nd, 2013
Sarah Beecher donated a kidney to her son on December 5th, 2013
Lisa Tabor McCrea donated a kidney to Ellen Garner, found on matchingdonors.com, on December 13th, 2013
Kevin Slifka donated a kidney to his nephew on December 17th, 2013
Cynthia Hawkins Lindell was a non directed kidney donor on December 19th, 2013
Alex Wollangk donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Ron Schwalbach, on December 19th, 2013
Karen Whiteford donated a kidney to her brother, Thomas Mercier, on December 20th, 2013
David Taylor donated a kidney to his son, Dale, on December 23rd, 2013
Ninth anniversary:
Lynn Bolduc was a non directed kidney donor on December 8th, 2014
Seventh anniversary:
Rebecca O'Marrah donated part of her liver to her friend, Kelly Drey, on December 7th, 2016
Fifth anniversary:
Andrea Armida Yochim donated a kidney to Yuri Miguel Carrarierro on December 19th, 2018
First anniversary:
Elizabeth donated a kidney to her brother on January 13th, 2010. Her brother passed away after contracting COVID-19 on December 13th, 2022.
Topic: December 2023 Living Organ Donor Anniversaries from our LDO! Calendar (Read 1769 times)