CARING LIKE FAMILY THE PERFECT MATCH

Thirteen years ago, when Michael and Tammie Martinez got married, they knew they were a perfect match. Their match went beyond the altar and into the operating room when Tammie became a life-saving match for Michael by donating a kidney to him.

“We were a strong couple before the match,” said Tammie, 43. “The transplant made us even stronger. God is the foundation of our marriage and that helped us get through the entire process. We prayed separately and together. Now, we have a physical connection, too.”

Michael, 39, had been diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. Two years ago, his kidney function started to decline, and he had to start dialysis. Soon he was in stage 4 renal failure. As the self-employed owner of a pest control company, he went on peritoneal dialysis which is conducted nightly for eight hours.

He said that from the beginning Tammie was willing to be a donor. “I was happy, but I didn’t want to put her through something that might put her at risk in the future,” he said. “But in the end, I couldn’t tell her ‘no.’”

Tammie said she knew she needed to take care of her husband, so she started asking questions about becoming a donor. “We had a feeling that we would be a match,” she said. “It was almost like we knew this was the path we were supposed to take.”

Covid Patient Battles Virus For 10 Weeks

Sharon Pettit is quick to admit that she would not be alive today without the care she received at Methodist Hospital | Texsan.

In 2021, Sharon was in-and-out of medical facilities for a total of 10 weeks dealing with COVID and its complications. She had a pulmonary embolism, which caused the COVID to worsen. She was unable to breathe and felt extremely sick. “I could not walk at all,” she said. “I thought that I was dying.” She was so disoriented that she remembered getting into the ambulance to go to the hospital, but not much after that. Her challenges continued as she had difficulties with equipment. Her chest tube was pulled out, and she nearly flat-lined. Then her lung collapsed. Her situation changed when she arrived at Methodist Hospital | Texsan ER. Carmelo Ortero, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon, assured her that she would recover and provided her with the determination to complete her rehabilitation.

Dr. Luke Shen performed Michael’s transplant at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant on August 26, 2022.

Michael said his whole team, from nurses and physicians to nephrologists, was great, and that his recovery was quicker than expected. With his kidney working properly, he had more energy and was no longer on pain medications. Two months after surgery he was a lot more active, working and enjoying life.

Tammie said her recovery was easy with minimal pain and discomfort. Within three weeks she was feeling normal and in eight weeks she was back in her career as an insurance agent. She credits Michelle Salazar, her pre-transplant donor nurse with providing support as someone she could reach out to with questions or turn to just to vent.

Both Tammie and Michael have become strong advocates for organ donation. “As a recipient, I can’t thank everyone enough for even thinking of being a donor,” said Michael.

“The level of care is unmatched,” said Sharon, a retired nurse. “The level of expertise and dedication was comforting to me and provided my husband with a sense of relief. I also was impressed with the effective communication and timely delivery of patient care.”

Now, in the last stages of her rehab, Sharon looks forward to spending time with her grandchildren.

FORTY-TWO YEARS LATER, PATIENT RETURNS TO RECEIVE BOTH A LIVER AND KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

42 years later, Jerry Biesenbach found himself at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant again after being there the first time because of a firework accident that occurred on New Year’s Eve. Interestingly enough, Jerry was cared for by the same nurse from his first visit. Only this time around, Jerry was here to receive both a liver and a kidney transplant.

Jerry and his wife, Joni Biesenbach, live in Stone Wall, Texas, a small city right outside of Marble Falls. The couple met in college in 1991 and now have two children together. Jerry operates a family business with his brother and son where they focus on roadwork.

18 year-old Jerry lost his hands due to an explosive dynamite, which caused him to need prosthetics. He was admitted to Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant where a nurse by the name Peggie took care of him. “He was covered in feathers! If it weren’t for the heavy-down jacket he was wearing, he would not have survived. The coat took all the impact,” says Peggie. Since then, Jerry learned how to operate his prosthetics and continued to live his life.

Fast forward to the summer of 2019, Jerry was diagnosed with cirrhosis and kidney failure. He was then referred to Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant for further evaluation. Some of the symptoms Jerry experienced were lack of energy and swelling in the legs. After many doctor appointments and tests, Jerry was not progressing. His physician, Preston Foster, MD, decided to move forward with a balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) procedure, which is a minimally invasive technique used to treat gastric variceal bleeding. Jerry was also put on dialysis and paracentesis. “We would wake up at 4:00 AM to drive down to San Antonio for dialysis three times a week and for paracentesis once a week,” said his wife, Joni. “We would not look right or left, we were just plowing through.” Jerry’s numbers were never steady; it was like a roller coaster. He was off the transplant list more than he was on the list due to infections.

On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, Jerry and Joni celebrated their wedding anniversary while in the hospital. The staff gifted them a cake and shortly after, Jerry was sent home. The following Tuesday, the couple drove down for Jerry’s dialysis appointment. “It’s not too late for an anniversary liver,” said Joni. While Jerry was in dialysis, Joni received a phone call and they had a match! Joni could not wait to share the news with Jerry. Once she told him, his face lit up and he cried tears of joy. He couldn’t believe it! They both had fought so long and hard for this moment. “We never felt like giving up, but we certainly got discouraged at times,” said Joni.

Surgery day arrived and Jerry felt relieved. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here. I trusted them,” said Jerry. Throughout this process, Jerry created strong bonds with the entire transplant team.

During Jerry’s transplant journey, both of his children hit major life milestones such as marriage and college graduation. “So many great things happening around us. Life is fragile for all of us. Although I’ve got a long road to recovery, it’s only up from here,” says Jerry.

As Jerry exited the hospital, MHST staff had a send-off for him and his wife.