The Bonds Of Friendship

KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, SD,

Most people would go out of their way for a friend. But would you give up an organ for a friend that needed one to live?

Cherri Buchkoski and Pat Riepel first became friends through their 6th grade daughters who were buddies in school. Pat Riepel says, "She loves to shop. We shop, go to Volksmarch every year, go to dinner, and go to movies."

More than a decade later, the two have even more in common, but to understand their deepening bond you have to go back to Cherri's childhood.

At age 12, Cherri was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary disorder that causes cysts to form on the kidneys. Cherri Buchkowski says, "I have just tried to live my life as best I could without letting this disease stop me from doing the things I really wanted to do."

But this last year, Buchkowski's kidneys began to fail. Buchkowski says, "The psychological ramifications of a major organ system failing are just really significant. You just don't want to think your body is closing down on you."

Riepel, "I knew she had a kidney issue. I didn't realize seriousness of it until the last couple of years." And when Pat realized the seriousness of it, she did what any true friend would do. She offered to help.

Pat Riepel says, "I had said I would try to be a donor. I made that decision when I realized I didn't want her to go on donor list. I didn't want her to go on dialysis."

Pat's decision was significant because most people needing a kidney transplant aren't so lucky.

Dr. Michael Morris, Transplant Surgeon says, "The waiting list for kidneys is over 60 thousand people. There are only 8 thousand cadaver transplants a year 5 to 10 percent die waiting for a transplant. "

Buchkowski says, "She is absolutely my hero. There is no other way around that. She has supported me emotionally and given me the ultimate gift, the gift of life itself. What else can I say? There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friend."

"She was pretty overwhelmed, but I just said but I just said we're going to get through this it's going to happen and it's going to be a success I just knew it," says Riepel.

And a success it has been, although not exactly an easy one for Pat. The surgery is always harder on the donor than on the recipient, although it has gotten better in the last 25 years.

Riepel, "It's tough, it's not for the light-heated I'll grant you that."

But when Pat saw Cherri after the surgery she knew she did the right thing. "She comes walking in and her face was just radiant. She is radiant and I said you're beautiful at that point I had no regret, I hurt but it's worth it because this is going to go away," says Riepel.

"She is the courageous one. It's not that she wasn't afraid. But I think courage is facing your fear and realizing there is a higher calling and that's what she assured me over and over. If this wasn't meant to be we wouldn't have matched," says Buchkowski.

The two women wanted to share their story in hopes of getting other people to consider organ donation because the average wait for a kidney is three to five years. "My goal is if I can take one person off that donor list, off dialysis through my actions I think we've done a lot,"

And these two friends say now they are simply family. "She refers to my kidney as little Patty. She's the sister I never had," says Riepel.

"I have everything in the world to thank Pat for, every good thing that happens from now on can be traced right back to her", says Buchkowski.

Cherri's doctors say she can go on to live a normal life and that Pat shouldn't notice she has only one kidney. Pat will be on a national donor registry and her kidney function will be monitored for the rest of her life.

Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls performs up to 70 kidney transplants a year. For more information on becoming a donor call 1-888-909-1112.