NEWTON HAMILTON - One might never guess that a gift between brothers could be life-saving.
Charles Mitchell, of Elizabethtown, recently underwent a kidney transplant after suffering from kidney failure. The surviving donor is his brother.
Mitchell was told in November of this past year that his kidneys were failing and that he would need a kidney transplant. He immediately went on dialysis, he said.
Mitchell has had type 1 diabetes since he was 11 years old and also suffers from hypertension (high blood pressure), which doctors say contributed to his kidney failure, he said.
The kidney failure happened almost suddenly, Mitchell said. His kidneys were measured regularly because of his diabetes, and sometimes the levels came back normal and other times they didn't, he said.
"It kind of bounced around a little bit," he said of his condition.
Early this year, Mitchell's brother Konrad tested and found to be a kidney match, Mitchell said.
The surgery took place July 20 at Harrisburg Pinnacle Hospital. After the surgery, Mitchell said he spent about one week in the hospital recovering, and is "good now."
"I got my energy back," he said. "(I'm) more motivated, less tired."
Mitchell said he was glad his brother was able to donate his kidney to him. The transplant "really makes a big difference" in how he feels physically, he said.
Even just a week after the surgery, "you feel like 100 percent different," he said, compared to a year ago.
The process of Konrad getting tested to see if he'd be a match involved a blood test to make sure the brothers were the same blood type, as well as a chest X-ray and other tests to make sure there weren't any health issues, Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he hopes everyone else out there who needs a kidney donation can find a donor.
"More people should donate," he said.
Konrad Mitchell, of Newton Hamilton, said he decided to take the test when he found out Mitchell was only using 10 percent of his kidneys and was going to be put on the transplant list.
Konrad said his brother is only 14 months older than him, and has two kids he should be able to watch grow up. Also, upon seeing his brother on dialysis, he said "I could tell it was really taking a toll on him. I wasn't ready to lose him yet."
Konrad said getting tested to see if he could be a kidney match was the least he could do. He added he'd expect his brother to do the same for him.
A lot of people have told Konrad they respect his decision to donate his kidney, and that it was a great thing, he said, but he feels "I did what I felt I had to do."
Theresia Tredway, the brothers' mother who lives in Bainbridge, said this past November when Mitchell found out that he would need to be put on the transplant list due to kidney failure, "it really hit home."
"We went to an educational meeting explaining the requirements (and) process for kidney transplant," she said. "During that meeting I found out that I was not able to be tested as a donor due to medical history. It was very hard not to be able to try and help your child when they need it the most, when their life depends on it."
Family members, friends and co-workers found out about Mitchell's condition, Tredway said, and about six or seven people came forward, willing to get tested to see if they were match.
"Charles' brother Konrad immediately started talking about being tested and wanted to give him his kidney," Tredway said. "I had the feeling that right from the start, Konrad was convinced that he would be the one to save his brother."
Tredway said within days of the surgery, a "major improvement" was seen in Mitchell.
"They both recovered well," she said.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, 26 million Americans have Chronic Kidney Disease and millions of others are at increased risk.
High risk groups include those with diabetes, hypertension and family history of kidney disease. Kidney disease can be found and treated early to prevent more serious kidney disease and other complications, according to the foundation.
PinnacleHealth, through which the Harrisburg Pinnacle Hospital is run, is a hospital and healthcare system in Central Pennsylvania. It provides comprehensive kidney and pancreas transplantation services, including dialysis, at its Harrisburg campus. For more information call 231-8700 or (877) 778-6110, or visit www.pinnaclehealth.org/services/kidney-transplant.
IF YOU DONATE:
(Information provided by the National Kidney Foundation's website)
Deceased donation
To become an organ/tissue donor, visit the Donate Life America website at www.donatelife.net and choose your state of residence to learn about options in your area, which may include:
Join your state's online registry for donation, if one is available.
Declare your intentions on your driver's license.
Sign a donor card, which is available at the National Kidney Foundation's website at www.kidney.org.
Living donation
You can also consider being a living kidney donor. Living donation takes place when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ to someone in need of a transplant. The donor is most often a close family member, such as a parent, child, brother or sister. A donor can also be a more distance family member, spouse, friend or co-worker. Non-directed donors, or those who donate anonymously and do not know their recipients, also are becoming more common. For more information about living donation visit www.livingdonors.org.
