Meet the Team

So, she went through the testing process only to find out that she wasn’t a match. Fortunately, John’s Hopkins has a paired donation program, and they asked her if she’d be willing to donate to a complete stranger in the program, which, in turn, would give her original recipient a chance at getting a kidney. We talked about it and decided that she should do it.

Fast forward through all of the testing to February of 2018, nearly two years later, and they not only found her match, but her original recipient a match, too. So, on March 1, 2018, she donated her kidney, and a few hours later in the same hospital, our friend received his.

A few months later, we found out that four people received a kidney from her donation. She is doing well, and our friend has a second chance. He is doing very well and loving life.

On July 5, 2011, he and I were admitted to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and the surgeries were performed. Unfortunately, he had developed a hyper-coagulating disorder and got a blood clot in the portion of the liver I donated. Due to being a failed live recipient and being placed on life support, he became Status One on the transplant list. Thanks to the unselfish gift of an unknown donor family, he was re-transplanted with a full human liver a few weeks later.

Due to the equipment I am required to wear, my recovery was a bit longer back to my career in law enforcement, and I returned in September 2011. Thanks to the brave donor family, my gift was not in vain. I have enjoyed my brother watch both of his sons get married, be present at his daughter’s high school and college graduations and hold his three grandchildren. I enjoy a normal, active life, continue my work in law enforcement and currently serve as District Deputy Grand Master of the 14th Masonic District.

Since Carrol’s transplant, her older brother and our niece have also had kidney transplants, both from living donors who are life-long friends. We have witnessed the miracle of organ transplantation three times and consider ourselves blessed. There is no greater gift than the gift of life from a friend/living donor. I believe in this miracle and desire to share with the world what a wonderful experience we have had with organ donation, “The Gift of Life.”