Base employee looks back on kidney donation five years later

  • Published
  • By Mike Wallace
  • Skywrighter staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO --  Five years ago, Jolene Smith came across an organ donation Web site and, inspired by it, said she willing donated one of her kidneys. She shared some memories of that event in recognition of April's designation of "Donate Life Month." 

Today, a non-appropriated funds analyst in the 88th Comptroller Squadron, Ms. Smith said that she had felt the need to help someone and thought that donating a kidney "wouldn't be such a bad thing to do." 

The recipient, Neil Bartalon, a stranger to Ms. Smith, was a construction worker in Canfield, Ohio. He'd been waiting for a kidney for two and a half years and on dialysis nearly that long, he said. 

"You wouldn't believe the complications from kidney disease," Mr. Bartalon said. 

Besides finally becoming unable to work, he said he eventually gained nearly 100 pounds. Ms. Smith's donation saved his life. Of that, he said, "I can't put it into words. Her motive was strictly altruistic. We met each other and everything worked for the best." 

Saying that her part of the actual transplant operation took four to five hours, Ms. Smith recalled that "coming out of anesthesia was uncomfortable, and I was painful to look at." 

Much more time-consuming and detailed were the procedures leading up the surgery to determine if she and the recipient were matches. For example, Ms. Smith said that the blood tests included looks at six different characteristics. 

There also was a delay at the very beginning since Ms. Smith had an infection and Mr. Bartalon had a cold. These conditions affected the test and resulted in a negative match. 

The test had to be redone after both had recovered, and the result was more favorable.
In addition, she had to undergo psychological tests to determine if she was becoming a kidney donor for the right reasons and not for pay. That was done at a hospital in Pennsylvania that eventually refused to allow the operation because of legal concerns. 

The Cleveland Clinic in Youngstown, Ohio, a facility very familiar to Mr. Bartalon, became the operation site. 

"I went up to Youngstown on President's Day weekend for still another test, and the surgery was set for March 13," she said. "I returned there on March 12, underwent some preparatory work and had the surgery the next day." 

Following the successful transplant, Ms. Smith and Mr. Bartalon made a presentation to Life Connections of Ohio, an organization that encourages and facilitates organ donations. The two have stayed in touch ever since the surgery, and the now 59-year-old recipient jokingly refers to Ms. Smith as his "half-sister." 

Nationally, according to U.S. government statistics, more than 94,000 people await donations of various organs and 19 people die each day without receiving what they need. People between the ages of 35 and 65 make up the bulk of those awaiting donations. 

Some progress has been made in the area of kidney transplants though. In 2002 when Ms. Smith donated, there were less than 15,000 kidney transplants. In 2006, there were nearly 17,000. 

Looking back, Ms. Smith said, "I'd do it again. It wasn't anything I thought of twice. I just thought, 'I'm going to do this.'" 

To someone who was thinking about becoming a donor, she said, "I'd say that if you're interested in becoming a donor, check out the facts. If it's right for you, you'll know it."