Holy Family Hospital spokeswoman Anne McKeon is accustomed to being surrounded by patients and immersed in discussions about medical procedures. She recently found herself, though, in the less comfortable role of patient herselfas a living organ donorafter deciding to give one of her kidneys to her ailing second cousin and longtime close friend Ellie McKeon.


The two women, ages 50 and 55, respectively, are doing well, and proclaiming an even closer bond for each other than they already shared, following a several-hour transplant surgery performed four weeks ago at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, in Scottsdale, Ariz.


Im glad I did it, says Anne McKeon, who returned to work at Holy Family last week, but still is recuperating. She notes that donating an organ is an intensely personal decision that should be weighed carefully, and isnt for everyone, but adds, It just made sense to me, you know, from my heart.


Ellie McKeon, who lives in Oregon, is staying for now at a donated residence in the big Sun City West retirement community outside Phoenix while she undergoes follow-up tests and observation. Shes bubbly and upbeat by nature, but struggles to express her gratitude toward her Spokane relative without becoming too emotional to speak.


To me, thats just the biggest giftit makes me cry, is what it doesits just the biggest gift anybody could give, she says, her voice cracking.


Though Ellie has been healthy and active all her life, her kidneys were failing rapidly after being attacked by her own immune system for unknown reasons, and she would have died without the transplant or dialysis.


She calls Anne an angel, and says that because of the gift she was given, I would like to do something to give back. Thats been on my mind. One possibility, she says, is talking with other kidney patients who are fearful about their future.


More than 91,000 men, women, and children in the U.S. currently await life-saving organ transplants, but that number exceeds the supply of donated organs, which means that about 18 people die each day waiting for an organ, according to the Coalition on Donation, a nonprofit alliance based in Richmond, Va.


The National Kidney Foundation says that 3,886 kidney patients, 1,811 liver patients, 457 heart patients, and 483 lung patients died in 2004 while waiting for transplants. Despite the organ shortage, it says that living organ donations have tripled since 1990 and now account for more than half of all donations.


The Mayo Clinic, which operates the hospital where Ellie received Annes kidney, says on its Web site that it emphasizes living-donor kidney transplants as the best option for patients. One advantage, it says, is that the donors can be tested thoroughly before surgery. Also, living-donor kidneys last longer. Half of living-donor kidneys transplanted today will still be functioning 25 years from now, whereas half of cadaveric kidneysthose taken from deceased donorswill fail within 10 years, it says.


Also, living-donor kidneys can be transplanted immediately, and most begin functioning immediately after the transplant, whereas the waiting time for a cadaveric kidney ranges from three to five years, and many such kidneys dont function well initially, the Mayo Clinic says.


It says 455 transplants were performed between June 1999 and the end of last year at the Scottsdale Mayo Clinic hospital, and 287 of those were living-donor transplants. In those cases, 173 of the donors were related to the recipient.


The Mayo Clinic reports an overall survival rate among kidney recipients of 91.55 percent after three years, compared with a 90.23 percent national average. Its figures showed a sizable disparity, though, in survival rate after three years between adult patients receiving living-donor organs (98.11 percent at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, 93.98 percent national average) and those who received deceased-donor organs (72.22 percent at Mayo, 87.61 percent nationally).


Donors arent compensated financially, or at least arent supposed to be. Under federal law, its illegal to receive money or gifts in exchange for an organ donation. The cost of the living donors evaluation, testing, and surgery normally are paid for, though, by the recipients private health insurance, as was the case with the McKeons, or by Medicare.


Spokane program


In Spokane, Sacred Heart Medical Center has operated a kidney transplant program since 1981, and over the years since then has been the site of more than 600 transplants. The program is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages a national transplant waiting list and sets professional standards.


A total of 118 kidney transplants were performed at Sacred Heart in 2004 and 2005, with 55 of the organs coming from living donors. So far this year, 21 kidney transplants have been performed at the hospital, eight of which involved living donors.


Ellie McKeons surgery was performed in Arizona because she was there in a small recreational vehicle to do some vacationing when she fell ill and learned that her kidneys were failing, which caused her to be hospitalized briefly for stabilization and further testing. She was accepted into the Mayo Clinics kidney transplant program on Feb. 15a date that she says is burned into her memory.


Kidneys are crucial to a persons health because they filter waste products, remove excess fluid, and assist in regulating blood pressure and red blood cell production and in maintaining the bodys chemical balance. There are many reasons why kidneys can fail, with high blood pressure and diabetes being among the potential contributing factors.


The good news, according to the National Kidney Foundation, is that the transplant-surgery success rates have improved greatly and, thanks to improved medications, a genetic link between the donor and recipient is no longer necessary.


People usually have two kidneys, but only one is needed to lead a normal life, the organization says. When a kidney is removed, the remaining kidney increases in size to compensate for the loss. Donating a kidney doesnt change the donors life expectancy, nor does it increase his or her risk of kidney failure, but the prospective donor must be in good health and have normal kidney function, and the donor and recipient must have compatible blood types.


In the McKeons case, Annes paternal grandfather was the brother of Ellies father, and both women have a blood type of O Positive. They both spent part of their childhood in New York stateAnne in the country, Ellie in the cityand would get together during periodic family gatherings. Also, Ellie says, She would get a lot of my clotheshand-me-downs.


Their families scattered, though, as the years passed, causing them to be parted for a long time. Anne moved with her family to California in 1966, then came to Spokane in 1979. She and Ellie didnt reconnect until after Ellie moved to the Seattle area in 1985, but their friendship has strengthened steadily in the years since then, and Anne served as maid of honor when Ellie was married aboard a sailboat.


Were very close. Were like sisters. I dont have a sister, Anne says.


She describes Ellie, who has worked extensively in the travel industry and in latter years as a chef and co-captain aboard expedition ships and privately owned ocean yachts, as high energy, vivacious, very positive, healthy, caring.


Because Ellie was so healthy and active, Anne says, it was a big surprise to us both when they learned last fall that Ellies kidneys were beginning to shut down. Once tests revealed that a transplant was needed, Anne says, she offered almost immediately to donate one of her kidneys.


Then the questions started coming, Anne says, and I thought I should start looking into this before I said yes. After doing that, it became very clear that this was the right thing to do. Her research, she says, included seeking information from the Sacred Heart transplant program, which was helpful and supportive.


A couple of other prospective donors, including Ellies son, surfaced during that period, but then backed out.


I felt kind of selfish, Anne says, for backing away from her initial offer, so she could take a closer look at the potential risks she faced as a donor, and evaluate questions such as whether she might need that extra kidney later in life.


However, she says, The case was that someone needed it right now.


The Mayo Clinic put her through a weeks worth of testing in April to ensure she was a viable candidate, and the transplant occurred on May 17. Annes kidney was removed through a procedure called a laparoscopic nephrectomy, and immediately transplanted into Ellie. Among the photos Anne brought back to Spokane was one of her and Ellie reaching across their hospital beds to hug and kiss each other good luck shortly before going into surgery.


One of her fears early on, she says, was that Ellies immune system might attack the organ she donated, just as it did Ellies own kidneys.


I was hoping the kidney wouldnt be rejected. Theres still no guarantee, she says, noting that Ellie will have to take anti-rejection medications the rest of her life to minimize the chance of that occurring.


Since Anne returned to Spokane, she says Ellie has sent very heart-warming cards, and we have been on the phone a lot. Weve talked about how were always going to have a story. Weve joked about that. Putting a humorous light on the transplant operation itself, she adds with a laugh, Its a good thing I couldnt give her a piece of my mind. Were both kind of nutty, and she might have become a little nuttier.


For her part, Ellie speaks admiringly of what Anne put herself through voluntarily. Before the surgery, she says, I know that she was scared. I could tell by her voice, and the way she talked, andohI understand that. Fear of the unknown is probably the worst thing. This is a sacrifice from her.


One of the really neat things about this is we did it all together, she says, noting that she drove Anne to the myriad tests she had to endure before being approved to be Ellies donor.


Ellie now is eager to resume her normal life. She hopes to get her doctors clearance to leave Arizona by mid-July and head back to Floras Lake, Ore., just south of Bend, to resume interrupted plans to build a home on a piece of land she bought there last year. She adds, though, that shell be leaving with a different mindset.


Ive always been a happy person, but theres something different now, she says. This whole thingI have a life, I have a new life, which I might not have had, and I aim to take care of it. I kind of want to just live more simply.


Contact Kim Crompton at (509) 344-1263 or via e-mail at kimc@spokanejournal.com.