Susan Hunt has saved her brother’s life.
The Mission woman flew to Hamilton, Ontario last month and, on July 20, she donated her kidney, so her brother could live.
The process was a smashing success.
“I was amazed, I had no pain. I said after the surgery that I wished I had 10 kidneys so I could donate nine of them,” said Hunt.
Her brother also went through the procedure unscathed. In fact, his creatinine toxicity level fell from 1,100 to 860 in one day. His level is now down to 150.
Creatinine is a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. It is transported through the bloodstream to the kidneys. The kidneys filter out most of the creatinine and dispose of it in the urine. A level of 100 is considered good.
Hunt said the doctors are ecstatic with the results.
“Two days after surgery they wanted me out of the hospital because I was doing so good,” she said.
Her brother is now on ant-rejection medications but all signs point to a successful outcome.
“I have no words. I never was emotional about the surgery. I was just totally prepared and ready for everything to happen,” said Hunt.
But after the surgery, she was presented with a pair of donor pins. The pins are shaped like a kidney with a green ribbon on them. One says I gave the gift of life – donor. The other, which Hunt presented to her brother, says I received the gift of life – recipient.
“Well, I bawled like a baby,” said Hunt.
Her brother, Rob, told her what an amazing difference this has made in his life.
“In his words he said ‘I never knew how sick I was until I got well.’ And that’s all I needed to hear.”
Hunt came back to Mission seven days after the surgery and returned to work the next day.
The Record first reported on Hunt’s kindness back in April of this year.
At that time she had been preparing for two years to complete the kidney transplant.
She quit smoking, lost weight with the help of some coaches, went through ultrasounds, blood matching and more. But Hunt was never scared. She said the process has “been easy.”
“I had so much support from the community,” she said. “They have definitely rallied around me. Now I want to do some fundraising for the kidney association. I’m just not sure how I’m going to go about it right now.”
Hunt, a member of the Valley Women’s Network will be at the local organizations booth at MissionFest on August 13.
While there to support the women’s network, she said he will have some kidney donation information on hand for anybody who wants it.