Spartanburg, SC – Palmetto Council, BSA, Program Coordinator Marie Cole recently donated a kidney to someone she did not know before the transplant. It started before Marie was even born; her grandfather received a heart transplant allowing him to live ten more years before passing away of renal failure. Because of the generous spirit of a stranger choosing to be an organ donor, Marie was able to know her grandpa and see the benefits of organ donation.
Fast forward to five years ago and Marie’s mom chose to donate a kidney to someone in her Sunday School class at her church. While she always knew she would eventually become an organ donor, this allowed Marie to see the transplant process firsthand and she decided it was something she wanted to do for someone else.
Last Summer, as Marie was sitting with her family reminiscing about her grandpa when she decided it was the right time to look at her calendar and reach out to the National Kidney Registry (NKR).
After blood draws, MRIs, CT scans, EKGs and various other routine tests, the registry alerted Marie that she would be a perfect candidate to be a kidney donor and since her blood type is O negative her kidney could be transplanted to someone who has been on the recipient list for a while.
Within two weeks of being placed on the NKR website, Marie’s donor coordinator reached out to let he know they had found a match!
With surgery scheduled for December 27th, Marie had to take extra precautions to ensure she did not contract COVID-19 or another illness before the transplant.
As surgery day approached Marie stated, “I was excited and determined, I was only nervous about coming down with COVID, which would delay the surgery several weeks or even months.”
After a three day stay in the Atlanta hospital where she underwent the transplant, Marie was sent home to begin her six-week recovery. Her only complaint is that is she was bored while having to stay home and rest. Marie likes to stay active by hiking, leading canoe trips, and other outdoor activities.
Marie did not know the recipient of her kidney prior to the transplant, but after reaching out to her donor coordinator, Marie as granted permission to reach out via email. After a week, the recipient responded that she is doing well and thanks to Marie’s gift she has more energy than she has ever had in years and her kidney function has increased by 46% in less than a month. Her favorite thing since receiving her new kidney is that she no longer must divide her energy and can stay active with her eight-year-old daughter.
As for Marie, her recovery is still ongoing, but overall, she has had no complications. Marie said the most meaningful impact of being an organ donor is “not only did I give someone another chance at life, but I was able to give a daughter her mom back.”
Marie says that this journey would have never been possible if it was not for the support her family, partner Zack, and Palmetto Council staff. She wants to encourage anyone who may be considering organ donation to take the time and seek more information. Giving someone an organ, they have been needing, sometimes for a long period of time, is the best feeling she has ever experienced.
To find out more information about Organ Donation visit www.kidneyregistry.org
Marie has been with the council for almost two years and primarily works at the Glendale Outdoor Leadership School (GOLS) providing educational Scouting opportunities and STEM learning experiences to local school groups.
