{"id":13049,"date":"2012-10-18T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2012-10-18T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=13049"},"modified":"2022-02-09T21:57:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T03:57:40","slug":"living-organ-donation-is-an-amazing-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/living-organ-donation-is-an-amazing-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"Living organ donation is an \u2018amazing gift\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Bryan Aberle delivered a load of gravel to Roger Scherr\u2019s farm just outside Fairbury in late November of 2010, neither of them knew that day would change their lives forever.<\/p>\n

At the time, Bryan and Roger were only cordial work acquaintances. Roger had end stage renal disease and had been undergoing nightly peritoneal dialysis treatments for nearly six months, which robbed him of all leisure and hindered his plans for the future.<\/p>\n

After seeing Roger\u2019s gaunt, deteriorating condition, Bryan began to consider becoming a living organ donor.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked like a skeleton,\u201d Bryan recalled. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know him well at the time. I\u2019d heard he needed a transplant, but didn\u2019t think about it much. Seeing him that day like that really hit me. I felt compelled to do something about it. \u201d<\/p>\n

After a week full of thought and prayer, Bryan gave a nervous phone call to the Scherrs, officially offering to donate his kidney. Because kidney transplants are usually best matched from relatives, both men knew that the odds weren\u2019t in their favor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember thinking, \u2018Here\u2019s a young man who doesn\u2019t really know me, but he\u2019s willing to give a part of his body to me.\u2019 It\u2019s a humbling experience\u2014 just the offer itself is an amazing gift and a testament to the type of person Bryan is,\u201d Roger said.<\/p>\n

When the results of the blood work came back with an almost-perfect match, everyone was shocked\u2014except Bryan and Roger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe matched up like brothers,\u201d Bryan said.<\/p>\n

For them, their compatibility only confirmed that their experience together was meant to be. At the Transplant Services<\/a> office at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center<\/a>, they became a popular conversation topic. Rarely do results come back so promising, let alone from two men who were once strangers.<\/p>\n

After months of testing, delays, and measurable patience from everyone involved, Bryan and Roger were cleared for donation and found themselves being prepped for surgery on July 18, 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cBryan was the only one of us who slept through the night before surgery. No one\u2014not me, not our wives, or any of our family members slept.\u00a0 But Bryan? He slept like a baby,\u201d Roger joked.<\/p>\n

The donation turned out to be an immediate success. Within the first 24 hours after surgery, Roger\u2019s new kidney began functioning significantly better than most kidney transplants.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Ketel, Dr. O\u2019Connor<\/a>, and the entire OSF staff did an excellent job,\u201d Roger said.<\/p>\n

\n

Become a living donor<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Even during the recovery period at the hospital, Roger and Bryan never lost their playful and fraternal sense of camaraderie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was annoyed that Roger made it out of bed before me. I was only 29, and he was 61. I should have been able to recover faster!\u201d Bryan said.<\/p>\n

Within a couple of days, both men were back at home to finish the recovery process. Within a couple of weeks, Bryan was back at work and Roger\u2019s kidney function had returned to healthy levels. Fast-forward to today, and their lives have been remarkably transformed. Not only has their relationship bloomed from casual acquaintance to deep friendship that mirrors only that of a father and son, but because of Bryan\u2019s donation, Roger is able to once again live a fully functional and happy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just went through life day by day. Planning my farming future was hard. That\u2019s the hardest thing\u2014you don\u2019t know about your future. It\u2019s scary knowing that you\u2019re going to be tied to a machine the rest of your life,\u201d he said. \u201cBryan saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Bryan, he describes his decision as incredibly rewarding. \u201cIf I was asked to go through all of this again, I would. Everyone deserves a good life and good health, if possible. Organ donation is one of the easiest ways to make life better for someone\u2014 forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Protection,<\/p>\n

Together, Bryan and Roger work with the community to raise awareness about the benefits of organ donation<\/a>. In 2012, they spoke at the National Kidney Foundation<\/a> Education Day at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to hear someone say, \u2018Because of your story, I donated a kidney.\u2019 That\u2019s what I want,\u201d Roger said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not many people would offer to donate an organ to a complete stranger. But, Bryan felt like it was something he had to do, and when they turned out to be compatible, he knew it was meant to be. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":13073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[157,998,593,1029],"coauthors":[726],"class_list":["post-13049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patient-story","tag-donation","tag-kidney","tag-organ-donation","tag-transplant"],"yoast_head":"\nLiving organ donation is an \u2018amazing gift\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A gift of life from an unsuspecting donor. 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