DID YOU KNOW THAT MARCH IS NATIONAL KIDNEY MONTH? At Life Connection of Ohio, the non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation, that means an opportunity to celebrate the lives of kidney transplant recipients and to honor organ donor heroes who made that life possible. Organ donation impacts countless people in our community, including kidney transplant recipient Kandy Takas and the family of organ donor hero Donovon Jacobs.
Rewind to Friday, July 2, 1999. It was a 100-degree, blisteringly hot day in Toledo. Kandy Takas was shivering under a blanket, unable to get warm. Her mom, Pat, drove her to the emergency room at St. Charles Hospital where a doctor told Kandy, “You are one sick young lady.” Her blood pressure was a dangerously high 240/140, and test results showed she had zero kidney function. Healthy kidneys are about the size of a fist, but Kandy’s kidneys had shriveled down to the size of grapes. “The doctor said I showed up to the emergency room at the very end,” Kandy said. Kandy was diagnosed with endstage IgA nephropathy. The day after her trip to St. Charles, Kandy started dialysis. She went to Maumee Bay Dialysis Center every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for four hours each time. Eventually, she was allowed to drop Thursdays. After one year, three months, and six days on dialysis, Kandy received a life-saving kidney transplant on October 9, 2000—the day before her 34th birthday. “It was the best birthday present ever,” Kandy said. Kandy returned home four days after her transplant, and she has never looked back. The best part of the past 22 years for Kandy has been hanging out with her son. “Our life is full and very busy,” Kandy said. “I’m so thankful for the gift of life. It allowed me to go back and be a mom and be here to watch my son grow up.”
The only thing Kandy knows about her donor is that he was a generous man from Maryland. She wrote a letter to her donor family, but she has not heard back. “It’s probably the hardest letter I’ve ever written,” Kandy said. “You’re ecstatic, but they are devastated. How do you temper your joy with their sorrow? The biggest thing you’re saying is ‘thank you,’ but how do you thank someone for giving you your life back?”
Kandy’s transplant journey inspired her son, John, to register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor when he received his driver’s license. He has seen firsthand the power of donation. That Maryland man’s incredible gift has allowed him to have his mom in his life. And he said that is “pretty cool.”
Kandy is alive today because of an organ donor hero like Donovon Jacobs. Donovon, affectionately known as Uncle D, was all about family. The 27-year-old with the tough exterior was a softie when it came to his niece and nephews. “He was so patient and hands-on with the kids,” Donovon’s mom, Andrea, said. “He wouldn’t get frustrated with crying. If he heard one of the kids cry, he was always like, ‘Hand me a baby!’” Donovon’s days were filled with reading, dancing, potty-training, hugging, and protecting his niece and nephews.
Anyone who knew Donovon appreciated his generosity. “If he had a dime, he would give it to the kids. He was a sharer,” Andrea said. But Andrea’s world stopped on June 3, 2010. Just a few weeks before his 28th birthday, Donovon passed away. That day, Donovon’s giving spirit continued. He saved four lives through organ donation. “Organ donation was a way for me to hold on and not have to completely let go of my son. You don’t go through nine months of carrying a child and give it away that easily,” Andrea said. “Donovon achieved something greater than what I did in giving him life, and that makes me feel good.”
Andrea had the opportunity to meet Donovon’s kidney recipient, Pete, at Famous Dave’s in Toledo. “I saw Pete and thought, ‘Wow, you’re living because of my son,’” Andrea said. Because of Donovon’s right kidney, Pete is healthy enough to work in the construction field and his dialysis days are behind him.
On the way home from Famous Dave’s, which specializes in barbecue, Andrea’s nine-year-old grandson, Ramonte, who possesses his Uncle D’s personality and humor, made the car fill with laughter. “I wonder if Pete always liked ribs or if he does now because of Uncle D,” Ramonte said. “I told him I didn’t have the answer, but one thing I knew for sure—Pete is doing a lot of things because of his Uncle D,” Andrea said.
Andrea said being an organ donor is a “high honor,” and she is very proud of her son. “Life continues for Pete, and part of me feels like it’s continuing for Donovon,” Andrea said. “That brings me peace.”
Kandy and Andrea volunteer for Life Connection of Ohio, the non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation. To learn more about organ donation or to say “yes” to saving lives, visit lifeconnection.org.
Kara Steele is Director of Community Services for Life Connection of Ohio.
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