Celebrating living donor ‘heroes’

Living donors provide a special gift of life to people in need of organ transplant.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

As he smiled for a photo, Michael Krause, Noblesville, stood next to IU Health’s Dr. Chandrashekhar Kubal, a liver and intestinal transplant surgeon. On this occasion, Krause was one of the many “heroes” celebrated at a living donor recognition in downtown Indianapolis.

“Is there a coat check for this event because there’s got to be a lot of capes worn here,” said IU Health transplant surgeon, Dr. John Powelson. “I’m standing among a lot of superheroes. The living kidney and liver donors are those heroes.”

Krause was one of the more recent living donors attending the event. He became a liver donor to a family member on July 8.

Anthony Davis traveled from New Jersey to join the celebration. He donated his left kidney to his father, Lorenzo Davis in July 2020. They posed for pictures with Anthony’s mother, Chris Davis, and his transplant coordinator, nurse Tracy Perry.

“I did it because I wanted to help my dad,” said Anthony. His dad had been on dialysis for three years before the transplant. Now, he hopes to live long enough to watch is two grandchildren grow up.

At IU Health living kidney and liver donors are an option for patients in need of a transplant. Living donors aren’t necessarily related to the recipient. Compatibility is based on several factors. Each perspective donor invests in time for initial screenings, multiple tests and evaluations. They work with a team of IU Health transplant experts that include surgeons, donor coordinators, social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, and financial coordinators.

If a healthy kidney donor is incompatible with the intended recipient, the donor may opt to be part of paired donation. Also known as “donor swap” recipient/donor pairs are matched according to compatibility. Over the years, IU Health’s kidney transplant team has performed a number of paired donations. Some chains have included multiple people. Similarly, a donor who is not a compatible match, can still donate a kidney, and the person they wanted to donate to will receive a voucher and get a better-matched kidney.

Mari Clarke was part of the “voucher match.” She donated a kidney to an undesignated recipient. In exchange, her friend was matched with a donor. Clarke came from Colorado for the celebration. She was joined by her children Birdie Clarke, 2 and Bodhi Clarke 4 , and Jack Jennings 4, who enjoyed decorating “Donate Life” color pages.

Erica Bouse, Yorktown, Ind. was a perfect match for her for her younger sister, Ashley West, who needed a liver transplant on Sept. 7, 2021.

“We are celebrating the anniversary of her transplant,” said Bouse. “I would tell anyone, if you can be a living donor, do it. I’d do anything for my baby sister and I don’t think she’d be here if we hadn’t gone through with it.”

As he spoke to the donors and recipients, IU Health surgeon Dr. William Goggins said, “As surgeons, we can’t do anything without the gift of life from people like you. It’s a miracle every day that we get to participate in.”