Sister donates kidney to save sibling's life

Jennifer Owen, left, served as an organ donor for her sister, Kerrie Upchurch, who was in need of a kidney transplant, seven months ago. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

When Jennifer Owen, 22, arrived at Vanderbilt University Medical Center more than a year ago she never wavered in her decision to be evaluated.

"I'm glad she was so willing," said Kerrie Upchurch, Jennifer's 26-year-old sister. "I would do the same thing for her, but I did fight with myself over it. It was very hard for me to see her do this ... knowing she was going through this just because she loves me was hard."

Jennifer was evaluated in August 2007 to see if she could be a donor for her sister, who was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Kerrie has Lupus, an autoimmune disorder that caused her kidneys to fail. She had suffered with Lupus for more than 10 years prior to her kidney's failing.

"It slowly got worse and worse," Kerrie said. "In January of 2007 my doctor told me I was going to need a kidney transplant."

Family support

Luckily for Kerrie, her loving family members, starting with her father and sister, volunteered immediately to be evaluated to see if they were good matches so that Kerrie wouldn't have to go through dialysis while waiting for another donor.

Donors must be in excellent health and must also understand the emotional journey involved with being an organ donor.

"The two main things they look for are high blood pressure and diabetes," Kerrie said. "We found out through the tests that my dad is pre-diabetic, so he could not be a donor."

Jennifer, on the other hand, was in perfect condition to donate one of her kidneys. The fact that she was Kerrie's sister was icing on the cake. While it's not mandatory a donor be related to the recipient, siblings are often very compatible with one another.

"She's my sister and I knew I couldn't live without her," said Jennifer of her decision to be a donor.

Jennifer next met with a social worker to talk about the process and prepare her for the journey in front of her.

"They definitely let you know what you're in for," Jennifer said.

The surgery

On Feb. 19, the two young ladies showed up for their surgeries with the support of their parents and other family members. Kerrie's husband and Jennifer's boyfriend also shared their support.

"We hugged and kissed everyone there before going into surgery," said Jennifer. "The funny thing is, we didn't even hug each other ... I was scared, but the want and need for my sister to live took away that fear."

Prior to the five-hour surgery, Kerrie had 13 percent kidney function between her two kidneys. Following the successful surgery, she has 76 percent function.

"My doctor said it was one of the best (transplants) they've done," Jennifer laughed. "He told me I had a luxury kidney ... he said he would have liked to carve a 'BMW' into it."

Typically, surgeons will take the weaker kidney, of the two, from the donor. However, in Jennifer's case, both of hers were extremely healthy and functional, she said.

Recovery

Jennifer and Kerrie recovered in the hospital for four and five days, respectively, prior to returning home for more rest and recovery from the surgeries.

Kerrie had gotten a bit dehydrated, and had to remain in the hospital for an extra day.

"Getting out a day earlier than Kerrie was the hardest part of the whole thing for me," Jennifer said. "The surgery was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be ... I would tell someone not to be scared to be a donor."

For the donor, recovering from a transplant is typically more challenging than for the recipient, although Jennifer said it wasn't as bad as she expected.

"The best medicine you can receive is to see the person you gave it to," Jennifer said. "The morphine didn't do anything compared to seeing my sister."

Both girls took about six weeks off of work and recovered nicely. Despite being a little more tired than normal -- something that will fade with time -- Jennifer feels pretty normal. She says exercising has helped her to build stamina.

As the recipient, Kerrie is feeling "so much better than before" the surgery.

Last week, Jennifer received a good six-month report from her doctor and learned she won't have to go back for another check-up for about a year.

Kerrie sees her doctor every two months, but she feels great and has had no symptoms of Lupus.

A normal life

Both ladies say they would like to have children in the future. Prior to the transplant, that was not an option for Kerrie. If, in a year or two, her new kidney is still functioning normally, having children may be a possibility.

Doctors also assured Jennifer that the transplant procedure would not inhibit her from having children in the future.

"Jennifer should live a very normal life," Kerrie said.

Both ladies are hoping to compete in the next Transplant (Olympic) Games in 2010, which are scheduled to take place in Wisconsin. The games are open to all transplant recipients and living donors.

"We're going to pick a sport and start practicing," Kerrie said.

What you can do

Kerrie and Jennifer are hoping to raise awareness about organ donation, and both say they would encourage anyone who can to do so.

"If you want to give someone a more normal life, consider organ donation," Jennifer said. "It's not as bad as you think."

One in five children are born with only one working kidney, Kerrie said, and some may never find that out unless the working kidney fails.

Both ladies suggest checking the back of your license indicating you want to be an organ donor or, at the very least, notifying your next of kin.