Kidney donor, recipient team up

People taking part in two area benefit walks to battle kidney disease hope to spread the word about the "epidemic."

Kidney donor Erin E. Dulmage, Clayton, a Jefferson County fire investigator and a Clayton volunteer firefighter, and the recipient of her kidney, George A. Turner, Antwerp, deputy Jefferson County fire coordinator, are among those taking part in the walks.

They have formed a team for this year's fundraising walk for the National Kidney Foundation of Central New York.

"We're trying to get the word out that kidney disease is out there and it can be stopped," said Ms. Dulmage. "So many people's lives can be saved."

Their team will participate in the third annual, one-mile noncompetitive walk on Aug. 10 in Thompson Park. For the first time, a simultaneous kidney walk will take place in Ogdensburg, on the Maple City Trail.

Registration for both events will begin at 10 a.m., and the walks will start at 11. Participants in the Watertown walk will meet at the park pavilion, and participants of the Ogdensburg walk will gather at the Dobisky Community Center.

The organizers of the Extinguishers hope to get members of area fire departments to join in the walk to help fight kidney disease.

The team was formed in memory of Mr. Turner's father, Donald Turner, and in honor of 14-year-old Tyler Reome, Clayton. It also will honor fellow firefighters with kidney disease.

Donald Turner, Antwerp, died of kidney disease in March at age 70.

Tyler was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure the first week in January. He requires peritoneal dialysis for 10 hours each day. Tyler, who is about to be a freshman at Thousand Islands High School, Clayton, is scheduled to meet with the transplant team at Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, in December.

"He's been sick for years," said Tyler's mother, Yvette Reome. "He was throwing up, not growing — I took him to the doctor several times, but we never knew it was kidney disease."

Tyler's father, Bruce Reome, is chief of the Fishers Landing Volunteer Fire Department. He plans to resign as soon as a replacement can be found for him so that he can help with Tyler's care.

"It's surprising how much you hear about it, just in the fire service community," Ms. Dulmage said about the prevalence of kidney disease.

"We're in crisis mode with an epidemic of kidney disease," said Laura B. Squadrito, director of programs for the National Kidney Foundation of Central New York.

The number of people with chronic kidney disease has increased by more than 30 percent in the past decade, she said.

Both of George Turner's kidneys stopped functioning in 2003 due to polycystic kidney disease. He twice had a potential donor, but both times complications with the would-be donors prevented the transplants.

In addition to having the same blood tests as a recipient, a donor must undergo numerous other tests to ensure that the transplant will not impact his or her overall health and to help ensure that the organ will not be rejected by the recipient.

Mr. Turner was still living on dialysis when he had a fateful encounter with Ms. Dulmage.

"We were sitting at a fire department banquet in Theresa," said Ms. Dulmage. "I noticed he had a couple bandages."

A conversation followed concerning Mr. Turner's kidney disease and treatment attempts. Ms. Dulmage found out that she and Mr. Turner shared the same blood type. She also found out that she could help him.

"Before George and I sat down, I didn't know that a living donation was possible," she said.

After months of testing and other preparations, Ms. Dulmage donated a kidney to Mr. Turner on Dec. 18. The transplant surgery took place at Upstate Medical University.

Ms. Dulmage has experienced no side-effects from her donation and she continues to live a normal life with one kidney.

Of Mr. Turner, she said, "he's doing fabulous" after the transplant.

"I wanted to help out a friend," she said. "I did it to see George happy and healthy again and to see him do things he couldn't do on dialysis."

'SUCH A GIFT'

For Melissa M. Semione, Pamelia, another living donor, the act of giving a kidney was a gift to herself. "It's just such a gift to know that it made such a difference in someone else's life," she said.

Ms. Semione gave an altruistic living donation on May 17, 2005, at Upstate Medical University. Most living donors are friends or relatives of the recipients, but Ms. Semione decided to give her kidney anonymously to a patient she had never met.

She was informed that her kidney went to a 6-year-old girl, but she was unable to meet with the child until a year after the surgery due to the hospital's transplant policy.

So when Ms. Semione attended Watertown's first kidney walk in 2005, she did not expect John and Vera Hanna, Rensselaer Falls, to approach her there. They were so grateful for the way Ms. Semione helped their granddaughter, Jadin E. Hanna, that they couldn't pass up the chance to thank her in person.

Jadin, daughter of Daniel D. and Shannon E. Hanna, Rensselaer Falls, is now 9 years old and almost as healthy as she was before she got chronic kidney disease.

"She almost has a back-to-normal lifestyle. She can't play contact sports and she can't go swimming in a river," but, said Shannon Hanna, "she can pretty much live her life like she did before."

Although she was a match, Shannon Hanna was unable to donate a kidney due to medical problems. Ms. Semione, however, was eligible for the transplant and was a perfect match.

"It was amazing," said Shannon Hanna. "It was probably the best news we've had in our entire lives."

GOALS SET

Proceeds from the kidney walks benefit the National Kidney Foundation. The fundraising goal for the Watertown walk is $50,000, and the goal for the Ogdensburg walk is $25,000. Each participant who raises at least $100 will receive a kidney walk T-shirt.

The National Kidney Foundation seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation.

The organization focuses on educating health professionals and members of the community about the risks and warning signs of kidney disease. It also offers numerous screening programs to assist in early detection.

"It's really interesting to go to the walk and hear from the families, donors and recipients," said Ms. Semione. "It really is a worthwhile cause."