5 minute read
Donating Life
BY EMMA WILLE, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Giving back comes in many different forms: volunteering at shelters, donating canned goods or maybe even making a monetary gift. But for two Alpha Chi Omega sisters, it means giving the gift of life. Through multiple medical questionnaires, tests and procedures, Paige Bolander (Alpha, DePauw University) and Leslie Moss (Gamma Rho, Texas Tech University) made a difference to save someone else’s life through cell and organ donation.
Paige was inspired to join the Gift of Life marrow registry after a family friend was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia; additional motivation came from supporting her mom through cancer. The registry connects donors with recipients who need blood stem cells and bone marrow to cure blood cancer and other immune disorders. The registry process was simple, Paige explains: “It’s just a swab of the cheek and then you send the kit back in the mail. The process is super quick and easy.”
Matching with someone isn’t as common as people may think; about one in every 250 donors will be a match in any given year. After completing the swab, Paige didn’t hear back from the Gift of Life until more than a year later when she received the call that she was a match for someone she didn’t know, a 61-year-old woman battling leukemia.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Paige says. “I felt a mix of emotions, but I felt grateful that I could help somebody.” After the call, it took several months before the donation process could begin. After many comprehensive medical tests, physicals and extensive blood work, Paige flew to the Gift of Life headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida to complete the donation of peripheral blood stem cells. “The day before the donation, I was just relaxing in Florida; they flew my husband out with me, so I wasn’t alone in all of this,” she says. “They made sure I was fully taken care of and that I had medical help.”
On the day of the donation, Paige was welcomed by personalized encouragement signs that were golf- and basketball-themed, some of her favorite sports. For eight hours, she was connected to IVs in both arms and enjoyed watching TV and snacking while the donation took place. Since her donation nearly two years ago, Paige still receives calls from the Gift of Life, checking in to make sure she feels healthy and that everything is going well!
Paige encourages anyone who may be thinking about giving back to join the registry at giftoflife.org and to order a testing kit there. “This is really an easy way to give somebody a new lease on life,” she says. “Whether it’s just donating blood or doing this, you can really help somebody.”
Similarly, Leslie was inspired to donate her kidney when a family friend was in need. Leslie grew up across the street from a woman named Pat and became very close to her. She recalls, “Living across the street and spending time in Pat’s home, I was influenced by how she lived her life. Years before the transplant, I realized how she had enriched my life in so many subtle ways.”
After having lunch and catching up with her old friend, Leslie found out that Pat’s chronic kidney disease had progressed to Stage 4 and she had recently started dialysis. The next step for Pat would be to receive a living kidney donation; Leslie knew she had to try. “It was like God was whispering in my ear,” she says. “I never looked back, and in my heart, I knew I was going to match. I contacted St. David’s Austin Kidney Transplant Center to start the process quickly.”
That process began with a phone call and a list of health questions. Next, Leslie underwent multiple blood and urine tests, completed scans and had mental health screenings. Still, she knew the decision was right for her, pushing through the process to make a difference in such a dear friend’s life.
Leslie eventually received the call that the surgery was approved. “Surgery was a month later. I was out of the hospital 24 hours later and in a couple of weeks almost fully recovered,” she says. “The incredible thing is once they put the donor kidney in the recipient, it starts working immediately. As a donor, my remaining kidney can increase its function up to 30%.”
Since the donation, Leslie says Pat has been doing remarkably well, and celebrated her 80th birthday this past December! Leslie and Pat’s friendship is even stronger. “From the start we decided that whatever the outcome, the gift of trying renewed our friendship, and that was priceless,” Leslie says. “Again, I believe it was God whispering ‘have faith’ in me. I have never doubted the decision I made.”
Both Leslie and Paige’s decisions to give back made the ultimate difference in someone’s life, whether that was a stranger or a lifelong friend. Giving back isn’t always easy; however, both sisters believe that it is completely worth it.
