Klaege's Gift Of Kidney Improves Life For Graber
by Alicia Buckenmeyer Buckeye Staff Writer

Josie Klaege

Santa Claus gives pretty nice gifts- but he's probably never given a kidney.

This holiday season, Josie Klaege gave what Santa hasn't. She now has one kidney, while Roger Graber, the man who sold the Klaeges their Archbold home, has three.

Roger is more than grateful. "There's not a better gift that anybody could have given me," he said.

5% Kidneys

Roger's diabetes wasn't good to his kidneys.

"They just kept getting worse and worse," he said. "And just all at once, they stopped."

At most, his kidneys functioned at five percent, and in March 2006, going to dialysis three times a week in Defiance was his only option.

Dialysis, said Roger, "basically does what your kidneys are supposed to do." Large needles inserted into a port in his left arm drew his blood to be purified and sent back into his body.

The four-hour procedure wasn't fun. "Nobody enjoys it," Roger said.

Therefore, his name was on two lists, including one at the University of Toledo Medical Center, to receive kidneys available from cadavers.

Roger Graber

However, Michael Rees, Roger's UTMC surgeon, said kidneys from living donors last 16-17 years, almost double the duration of waiting-list kidneys.

They also don't require waiting.

Rees told Roger, "As far as a living donor goes, ask people. If you have friends or whatever, ask them if they'll give it to you."

But Roger thought it was too much to ask. "There's no way I could do that," he said.

The Match

Meanwhile, in June 2005, Josie and her husband Kevin considered purchasing a home for their family of six from Roger, who'd moved into rural Archbold.

"We were just a little short on our down payment," said Josie, "so he did a second mortgage through himself so that we could buy the house."

Josie was impressed with his willingness to help even strangers.

"We talked back and forth quite a bit," said Roger.

"And we got to be good friends with him," said Josie.

The couple didn't like the idea that Roger would suffer through dialysis his whole life if he didn't receive a kidney.

Kevin offered his kidney, but his blood type was incompatible.

"I can certainly go be tested too," Josie had said.

She was a match.

After more tests, Josie's physician explained the surgery.

"A couple of times through the whole thing, I thought, 'Is this really what I want to do?'" Josie said. "But I did. I figured, he didn't know us and he helped us out."

The Nov. 28 surgery was right on schedule.

Nerves

"I was just ready to get it done and get it over with," said Roger.

Josie, on the other hand, was hoping her nausea wouldn't prevent surgery.

"Roger, I didn't want him to be disappointed, because he was so excited," she said.

After Josie received an antinausea injection, physicians prepared them for surgery.

Mathew Rutter, UTMC surgeon, clipped Josie's kidney free and removed it in a bag inserted into her body via a cut in her lower abdomen.

The kidney was transferred to Roger's operating room in a pan of ice and implanted into his body.

"Even though I was half out (semi-conscious), whenever I'd wake up I'd say, 'Is Roger done yet?'" Josie said.

Eventually she heard that Roger came through surgery. In fact, Rees told Roger that Josie's gift was well received.

"He said her kidneys were real healthy," said Roger. "As soon as they got everything hooked up, they said it was functioning."

Josie was thrilled at how quickly the kidney began helping. "That was the neatest part to me," she said.

Recovery

Since release from the hospital, the patients are experiencing some pain.

They must limit movements like sweeping and driving that stress the abdominal areas for two to four weeks, and Roger must avoid anyone ill because anti-rejection medication has shut down his immune system, which would attack the additional kidney.

Still, Josie and Roger both are recovering well.

"I thought it was going to be harder to recover," said Josie. "I don't think it's been that bad."

After their Thursday morning surgeries, she was released Sunday morning, Dec. 2.

Roger came home Dec. 3. He's doing so well that he didn't return to dialysis, as do most recipients.

In fact, without dialysis, Roger hopes to find part-time work after having to retire on disability from 33 years with the U. S. Department of Agriculture last September.

A New Kind of World

Josie can't believe how much difference having even one healthy kidney has made for Roger.

Still, she doesn't feel like a hero.

A woman in the hospital bed next to her had told her, "You're going to have another jewel in your crown when you die."

"I'm religious, I go to church," said Josie. "But I don't feel like I'm great and wonderful or anything because I did this.

"He's a friend and he needed help, so why wouldn't you help him if you can?

"If more people were willing to help each other, I don't think our world would be so horrible."

Roger, for one, has already experienced the kind of world Josie imagines. "I didn't ask anyone for a kidney. Kevin and Josie came to me," he said.

"Josie's just a life-saver," he said. "It's not something that everybody would do. Or could do."