Co-Worker Donates Kidney to Her Friend

By Robin Kervin
The Herald-News
February 5, 2006

While working at the Rhea County Finance Office, the relationship between Dena Waters and Jodi Rice began as simply office colleagues. Over the past few years the women became friends, and in December that friendship elevated to a life-changing level for both women.

On Thursday Dena donated a kidney for transplant to Jodi.

Jodi Rice is 42 and married. She has an 18 year-old son. The women in her family have a history of polycystic kidney disease. PKD is a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. PKD cysts can slowly replace the mass of the kidneys, reducing kidney function and leading to kidney failure. Patients generally require dialysis or transplant to survive.

Jodi’s mother and sister have both had transplants. Knowing since she was 25 that she also had the disease, Jodi has educated herself on the subject. She quotes statistics from memory, "there is a three- to five-year waiting list for transplants," and "17 people in this country die every day waiting for those transplants. Only one in four family members are a viable match for transplant," said Jodi.

To complicate matters, Jodi has a rare blood type, AB positive.

"Only three percent of the population is AB positive," she said.

In the fall of 2005, Jodi’s doctors informed her that it was time to plan on a transplant or they would have to begin dialysis.

Dena Waters is 32, a single mother of two and Jodi’s coworker since 2002. Her first response to learning about Jodi’s illness and the knowledge that she was going to some day need a transplant was simply, "Jodi, you can have one of mine."

Jodi felt it was a kind-hearted offer, but she knew all the odds were against it. Then the women found out that they did indeed have the same rare blood type.

Dena became determined to help Jodi and told her friend she wanted to be tested as a donor.

In December, Dena underwent testing to find out if she was a candidate to donate to Jodi.
There are six criteria that physicians compare for donors and recipients. In families sometimes just two out of six matches are considered acceptable.
"We were amazed," said Jodi. "We came back with a four out of six match. It is very rare between people that are not related."

The surgical teams at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville began the three-hour surgery at 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning. By 11:30 a.m. Jodi’s new kidney was functioning.

At 8 p.m. Thursday evening, Jodi no longer asked for any pain medication, and Dena was sitting up on the side of the bed but still experiencing some pain, according to Jodi’s sister, Glynnis Hirt.

On Friday, the women were feeling more of the effects of the surgery but were actually doing very well. Their doctors expect to send them home on Sunday.

Jodi becomes very emotional when she talks about the gift Dena has given her.

"She has saved my life. I would die without this transplant," said Jodi through tears. "And she doesn’t see that it was a very big deal."

"It’s not a big deal," Dena replies. "If a friend needs a ride, you give them a ride. If a friend needs money, you give them some money. It’s just what you do for a friend."
"Dena was even willing to do this, knowing that the recovery time would eat up all our vacation time and sick time. She would not be paid for some of the time before she could return to work, but she was still determined to do it," said Jodi.

In response to that problem, the Rhea County Budget Committee spearheaded a policy to allow all county employees to donate excess vacation hours to others. It will allow the women to be paid while they recuperate.

"One employee called and said he wanted to donate all his vacation time to the ladies," said LaDonna Hancock, administrative assistant to the county executive. "I told him he didn’t need to donate it all, that if every one pitched in, they would only need a few hours from each person. He replied, ‘Now look, if that girl can give up a kidney, I can sure give up a little vacation time.’ Isn’t that just amazing?"

The county executive’s office has also helped coordinate donations from all the county employees, elected officials and others who wanted to help the women out with gas money and other incidental expenses while they continue traveling back and forth to Vanderbilt.

Jodi will return to the hospital twice a week for the next month to six weeks, then once a week and eventually every month through the first year. Dena must return in two weeks, six weeks, three months and one year.

"We want to thank all those people who have been so generous and supportive. Our coworkers have been wonderful to us. Other county employees and the elected officials that have helped us have been terrific. It has been an amazing experience to feel all that support," said Dena.

"And our families and friends, our church families and everyone who has prayed for our health and recovery. We can’t thank all of you enough," added Jodi.

The women speak in terms of "our" and "we" even when they are not together. It is obviously a very unique connection that they feel.

John 15:13 reads, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

Dena and Jodi share that rare and special bond of love.