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Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Cera Fearing, 21, far right, donated her kidney last June to her brother, Ray Fearing, 27, center. When it started to fail, doctors re-implanted the organ into Erwin Gomez, 67. The kidney is working just fine, the Chicago-area patients say.
A single kidney that was transplanted twice in two weeks is working fine after what appears to be the first-ever case of doctors salvaging a hand-me-down organ after it started to fail.
Erwin Gomez, a 67-year-old Chicago-area surgeon and father of five, is the third and, hopefully, final owner of the kidney, which was transplanted last June 16 -- and again on June 30 -- at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
It originally came from Cera Fearing, a 21-year-old day care worker from Elk Grove, Ill., who donated the organ in hopes of helping her big brother.
“The whole point of giving it was to give him a new life,” she said.
Instead, Ray Fearing, 27, of Arlington Heights, learned within days of receiving Cera’s kidney that the organ was failing, attacked by a reoccurence of his longtime disorder, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, a common kidney disease in which scar tissue develops on the part of the kidney that filters waste from the blood.
Dr. Lorenzo Gallon, the transplant expert who treated Fearing, said he just couldn't stand to let a good organ go to waste, especially in a nation where nearly 92,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant.
"This kind of like haunted me," said Gallon, who is medical director of the hospital's kidney transplant program and associate professor of medicine and surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "I thought, I just gotta do something so at least something good can come out of this."
Gallon had warned Fearing that there was perhaps a 50-50 chance that the kidney could fail because transplantation doesn't always stop FSGS. In addition, a reoccurence of the disease could threaten Fearing's life. When Gallon saw signs that it was happening, he consulted with his colleagues and with the hospital ethics board to discuss reusing the kidney in another patient.
"The kidney ... was still a relatively healthy, viable organ that could be transplanted into someone else without FSGS," said Gallon, whose feat is chronicled in a letter in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
At first, the news was disappointing for both Ray Fearing and his sister.
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“When I found out it was going to be taken out of my brother, I was a little upset,” Cera Fearing said. “I figured it was going to go into the trash.”
Doctors offered Ray Fearing three options: Keep the new organ and hope for the best, remove the kidney and discard it, or donate it to someone else.
For Fearing, who was diagnosed with FSGS at age 15 and had spent 10 years hoping for a kidney, the choice was obvious.
“Why would I just throw out a kidney?” he said. “I know exactly what it’s like to want it so bad.”
That’s where Dr. Erwin Gomez came in. He’d been on the kidney transplant waiting list for about four months, after diabetes and poorly controlled high blood pressure left him on the verge of kidney failure.
“Initially, I was hesitant,” said Gomez, who worried about the condition of an organ that had already been transplanted once.
But when doctors told him the FSGS now affecting the transplanted kidney was reversible, and he would ultimately wind up with a healthy organ from a living, 21-year-old donor -- all without the typical five-year wait -- he decided to go ahead. Within days, the new kidney was functioning normally.
“I consider myself very blessed, with a well-matched kidney,” Gomez said.
Fellow kidney transplant specialists consider Erwin blessed as well. Dr. Matthew Cooper, director of the kidney transplant program at the University of Maryland, had never heard of a failing kidney being removed from an FSGS patient and re-implanted in another person.
“It’s pretty amazing stuff,” said Cooper, who chairs the National Kidney Foundation's "End the Wait Committee." “It’s very difficult once that kidney is transplanted to think about re-transplanting it.”
The trio that shared the kidney -- Cera Fearing, Ray Fearing and Gomez -- met for the first time Wednesday in an emotional encounter at the hospital.
Ray Fearing is now back on dialysis, with possible plans to seek another kidney transplant in a couple of years. He says he’s doing fine, and has recently discovered that he can travel and obtain dialysis in different locations across the country.
Gallon, who expressed affection and admiration for Fearing and his family, says it may be possible for the young man to have another transplant in the future, and there's a chance that the organ will function properly. For other patients awaiting kidney transplants, he says the success of the secondhand implant could well spur new research into FSGS and new thinking about what to do when an organ fails.
"Instead of tossing them out, you'll reuse them," he said. "It opens the window to using organs that we would throw away."
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Leave a Comment:
hoo, man shes hot
Umm.. yes indeed!
I didn't see it. Was there a reason it was not offered back to her?
Yes she is hot, but I prefer gingers.
You betcha. woo woo. hubba hubba. :)
I have an organ I'd like to donate to her.
I do see possible ethical problems here...like doctors pressuring patients to release their donated kidneys in order to help other doctors who need them.
What?! Do you really believe an ethicist such as Arthur Caplan would remain silent in the face of such?
On the other hand, in this case, who better to experiment on (that's what this was, an experiment) than a fellow doctor who is well aware of the risks involved? Good golly, Cassandra, such pessimism. I know why the "real" Cassandra was such a downer, but what's your excuse?
Aside from the fact that the original donor is attractive, she's also incredibly unselfish. I think it's fantastic that this has been successful for the third owner. I hope the second owner is able to overcome his disease at some point and Cera has no adverse effects from her part in this.
Amen, Laura, Amen!
Truly miraculous... and I'm not talking about the kidney.
All kidding aside, you guys have certainly cheered her up with your comments.
I'm surprised her sacrifice went to a senior citizen with only a few years left to live. I hope she gets free surgery for the rest of her life.
At what age do you believe we should give up on people? This guy could very well live another 30 or more years. If a 20 year old got it they also have the possibility of dying within a few years.
At 67, my mother had another 33 years of life.
I would give anything to have my grandfather here for a day, let alone to live to be 67 years old. Bet his wife, children and grandchildren are truly grateful his is around today.
Her sacrifice would have been for nothing if they hadn't been able to quickly locate a patient that was a good match. 67 may be technically a "senior citizen", but as many on here have said, he could easily live another 25 years or more. Looking at it another way, they may not have wanted to risk this unprecedented procedure on a younger person...he was a sort of guinea pig, when you think about it.
Growing replacement parts....with an inkprinter?
First off, Cera...tres magnifque.
Secondly the day of waiting for transplants is over.
Doctors at Wake Forest have successfully be able to grow a liver using a modified desk-top injet printer that instead of spraying ink sprays your cells to create the new liver, heart, kidney or what ever orgin needs replaced.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/life-extension/how-doctors-will-build-your-new-organs-in-the-lab
Gone will be the days of people waiting to have vital orgin transplants as well as the long and drawn out costs of going to the doctor for routine check ups that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The orgin replacement program uses stem cells (not from a an aborted fetus either) from the person needing the replacement orgin to build the new orgin.
This is one area of funding and research that Americans should be excited about...except that the GOP is not favorable towards such research and would probably kill any bill created by a president to continue government funding using tax dollars to continue the research.
See why we need to keep the GOP out of office? They are going to limit the ability of such research to continue to pave the way to provide cures and replacement orgins that such research will be able to bring to America.
I believe it's a little premature to say that "the day of waiting for transplants is over." Just like the problems that Ray had, there is the possibility that one's own cells would carry the disease that originally caused the problems.
This is exciting but there is clearly still more research to be done.
Too bad you had to make this political!
Dwight did not make this political. . . .he is merely reminding us that some politicians would rather play footsie with far right-wing loonies than do what is morally and ethically correct.
It is political. Anything about healthcare is political because the healthcare lobby has millions to donate to politicians who serve them. Remember all the red herrings thrown up during the debate. Choice? When was the last time anyone other than federal workers had a choice? You get what your employer offers, if you're so lucky to have that benefit. Only doctors in the network. Pre-existing condition without employer coverage, you get NOTHING. Private insurers won't cover you period! Death Panels...made up BS. And Dwight is correct, the GOP had no plan to lower costs and will not invest in research. And we the people pay for their insurance, even if we have no access to affordable healthcare for our own family.
It is not political because of the healthcare lobby - it is political because it involved lots of money.
I have a genetic kidney disease (PKD), but would GLADLY take a new kidney from my own stem cells. Bring it on!
myopinion
The lobbies are the money making political arm of the system. Some would say its the lobbying of special interest groups that really is the corruption of the system. If common sense and compassion were the actions of healthcare we would live in a very different world. Insurance and the AMA spend many millions of dollars lobbying to get their agendas passed and that is political.
Cera and Ray must have phenomenal parents (who undoubtedly are so proud of their children). Two nice, kind and generous people. We should all take note.
How I wish every disease would be cured.
Wrong, the GOP has never been against funding of adult stem cell research.
Check your history and check your mouth.
The GOP is very much against stem cell research. And that is because of the fact they have become, for political reasons, tied into the evangelical agenda. Politics are always at play in anything the government is involved in and one can hope the motives are for the good of the people who vote.
People seem to be missing the point here. That kidney is cursed!
Zombie!
Why didn't they give the kidney back to Cera?
I was wondering the same thing too. Just give it back to the original owner. What if she gets the disease.
I donated a kidney and I was asked beforehand what I would like to do with it in the event that it wasnt able to be transplanted into it's intended recipeient.
I had already prepared myself for the idea of living with one kidney, and if you have any clue what it is like to be on the transplant list then you are just happy that SOMEONE can use it, even if it is not your relative.
Like me, Cera will have gone through LOADS of health tests before the surgery to make sure she is not at risk of any diseases that might compromise her one kidney in the future. The reason there are so many people on the waiting list is because not enough folks fill in their donor cards () and discuss their wishes with their families...
just give it back to the original owner? hey.. you want your kidney back?
Yes that was my thought as well... why would you discard it if you could give it back to the donor also? strange... but I'm glad that these folks were generous enough to try and help someone else in need.
because it is a risky uneeded surgery to her.she is healthy with one kidney and does not ever need it.
The function of healthy kidneys is extremely redundant - Right now my kidneys are functioning at about 25% capacity, which is enough to keep me healthy. Dialysis/transplant isn't necessary until function gets down around 10%. That's why it's okay for the vast majority of people to donate a kidney.
Holy moderator - ease up a bit there.
Wishing all three of them a speedy recovery. Nice story about people willing to give alot - first to family and then to a stranger. God bless all of them.
Smoking hot and selfless enough to donate an organ to save her brother's life; she seems pretty darn perfect to me.
God Bless all of them. I pray for Ray, that he'll get a suitable one very soon. I pray it is the right one for Gomez and I wish Cera the best in life. What a kind gesture.
strong woman and smokin hot. hope her bro gets what he needs to keep him alive. what a fantastic way to recycle something. people should take a cue from her.
I always knew Vince Neil was a giving person
Best wishes to them all. Bless her selfless behavior, the brothers selfless act, and the doctors wish to help others. I only pray that all who need an organ can get one and that people will give one. Becoming an organ donor is easy and selfless, please consider it, then make your family aware of your wishes. None of us will need our organs where we are going, much better to leave a legacy for someone else. I did.
Call it what you want but I would have taken the Kidney back. Two is better than one. What if in the future something happens to her. It seems to me that they could have found a younger person for that kidney. And the doctors said there is a Five year wait for a kidney? How did this guy get it in Four Months??? Four Months???
I guess you don't grasp the concept of best donor - recipient match.
Tarzan7- I was thinking the same thing. I'd have taken the kidney back if I was the girl. It's selfish but function on one kidney can cause problems as you age. One thing it can cause is high blood pressure, and given her brothers kidney issues were complicated by high blood pressure, it's something that may run in her family. Also, if something were to happen to the single kidney she would be out of luck. Car accidents, tumors, even physical trauma from high impact sports can cause problems. I doubt she'll have to worry about sports, but you never know what life will bring. She deserves a lot of credit for her generosity but I think doctors are all too quick to try and convince people you don't need one of your organs when the truth is not so black and white. Chances are she'll be fine, but if it were me, I would have taken the thing back. It's one thing to give it to your brother, it's another to give it to someone else. How many people here are willing to head down to the hospital and donate a kidney to a stranger? Very few I would imagine.
Great story about unconditional human consideration for others in need.
Hope the kidney continues to offer life. Brilliant that the doctor thought of this. But on the other hand I have to wonder why it wasn't done ions ago?
After careful scrutiny, I realized there are actually two GUYS in that picture also!!
Blood level vitamin D (deficiency) determines organ rejection, more than any other factor.
I'll bet money the recipient was below 50 ng/ml, 25 OH.
she's beautiful! i think americans all over the country are discovering this.....~so....what are we gonna do?
chicago....i'm in wisconsin...that's dating range! PICK ME!!! PICK MR!!..~ME!!!!!
~WILL move to chicago for the date!
LOL! From a lot of the comments, it looks like a lot of guys would like to donate HER an organ. At least temporarily...
I'm surprised that nobody has commented on the fact that the eventual recipient was a surgeon with poorly controlled high blood pressure and diabetes. A surgeon. With access to the best healthcare. Who still didn't take good care of himself.
I'm not saying he didn't deserve to live. He was ill and it was a perfect match; there is no reason to question that. I'm saying even the most intelligent, highly educated, well-paid people with access to the best care money can buy still can, and do, fail at self-care and healthy living. It's no wonder that disadvantaged people find it so difficult.
I see your point but remember that "poorly controlled" could be a medical term - do they mean his bp is "poorly controlled" because the meds he takes for it arent working so well, or do they mean "poorly controlled" becasue they think he isnt looking after himself like he should...
Yes, best match is a factor in transplants but patients who cant look after themselves before the transplants stand little chance afterwards - because they have a critically important regime of immunosupressants to take for the rest of their life. So this will always be taken into account by transplant teams and if the docs think the recipient wont be able to look after their new organs then they wont be put forward as transplant candidates...
How can anyone tell from this article whether Dr. Gomez did or did not take good care of himself? It doesn't say what type of diabetes he has, and high blood pressure can be CAUSED by kidney disease, which can be CAUSED by diabetes.