Tragedy turned miracle for PG reporter David Templeton: Life after organ transplant
Pittsburgh Post Gazette | David Templeton
Photo: Donor organs came from the late Kevin Hager, 31, of Harrison City, front center. He is surrounded, from left, by his stepfather George Ord, mother Denise Ord, brother Rocky Ord, Rocky's wife Kim Ord, and his sister, Jamie Zierski.
For this 57-year-old, the past year has featured major surgery, recuperation, health challenges, medical mysteries, weird drugs and hand washing -- lots of hand washing.
Still, it's been one of the best of my good life.
Free at last from 45 years of the tyrannical type 1 diabetes and 25 years of kidney-disease terrorism. Energy and outlook restored. Interest in hobbies and projects renewed. Dreams once melting away are intact and upgraded to goals.
It all began Oct. 25, 2011, when I received a kidney and pancreas transplant at UPMC's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute after spending 23 months on the waiting list. My diabetes, diagnosed Nov. 1, 1966, led to kidney disease in the mid-1980s. The transplants, performed by UPMC transplant surgeon Henkie P. Tan and his team cured both, by replacing the failing kidney and a pancreas that failed to produce insulin.
The donor organs came from Kevin Hager, 31, of Harrison City, who had hydrocephalus and died unexpectedly from an infection the day before the transplant occurred. His mother, Denise Ord, and her family nobly decided to donate his organs and turn their tragedy into health miracles for others.
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For this 57-year-old, the past year has featured major surgery, recuperation, health challenges, medical mysteries, weird drugs and hand washing -- lots of hand washing.
Still, it's been one of the best of my good life.
Free at last from 45 years of the tyrannical type 1 diabetes and 25 years of kidney-disease terrorism. Energy and outlook restored. Interest in hobbies and projects renewed. Dreams once melting away are intact and upgraded to goals.
It all began Oct. 25, 2011, when I received a kidney and pancreas transplant at UPMC's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute after spending 23 months on the waiting list. My diabetes, diagnosed Nov. 1, 1966, led to kidney disease in the mid-1980s. The transplants, performed by UPMC transplant surgeon Henkie P. Tan and his team cured both, by replacing the failing kidney and a pancreas that failed to produce insulin.
The donor organs came from Kevin Hager, 31, of Harrison City, who had hydrocephalus and died unexpectedly from an infection the day before the transplant occurred. His mother, Denise Ord, and her family nobly decided to donate his organs and turn their tragedy into health miracles for others.
Read more
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