2007 Ride of a Lifetime Winners
Astellas would like to thank all those who submitted essays to the second annual Ride of a Lifetime contest, and to congratulate the five winners who experienced the Ride of a Lifetime on January 1, 2007.
Emily Biondi, 23
Ellicott City, MD
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Norman Biondi, Emily’s father
Click here to read Emily and Norman’s story
Lisa Keezer, 33
Bloomington, IL
Liver recipient
Nominated donor/float Rider: robert bonner, Jr., Lisa’s brother
Click here to read Lisa and Robert’s story
Elizabeth Lentz, 53
Gate Mills, OH
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Rachel Lentz, Elizabeth’s daughter
Click here to read Elizabeth's and Rachel’s story
Kathy Payne, 47
Conway, AR
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Shannon L. Payne, Kathy’s son
Click here to read Kathy's and Shannon’s story
Lacey Wood, 17
Placerville, CA
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Tyson Wood, Lacey’s brother
Click here to read Lacey's and Tyson’s story
Emily Biondi, 23
Ellicott City, MD
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Norman Biondi, Emily’s father
As a student of Florida Southern College, I was incredibly active. I was always running around doing things for SGA or trying to stay in shape to be on the dance team. I was a vocal performance/dance major and at the end of my sophomore year I became very ill. Being from Maryland, I moved my stuff into a storage facility and made my journey back home for summer vacation.
High blood pressure and a fever brought me to the doctor’s office—I had complete kidney failure, and I had to be rushed to the hospital for a blood transfusion and then start the course of many painful hemodialysis sessions.
I was only 19. I couldn’t understand why my kidneys had failed. And neither did any of the doctors. A kidney biopsy had only showed scar tissue, leading the doctors to believe that the failure was due to some undetected virus I got when I was little, and had slowly deteriorated the kidney.
Nine months of hemodialysis had taken its toll on my body and spirit. I was on a lot of prednisone, which made my cheeks swell and made me gain weight. I had to transfer schools to a university in Maryland. Just walking to class made me stop for breaks. I used to be in great physical shape, but now looked like a different person.
My loving father elected to be my kidney donor. The hardest part of the process was watching my dad being rolled away to surgery a couple hours before me.
After a month I felt I could walk to classes without having to take any breaks. I started to feel more healthy and happy than I ever felt before. Then soon enough I started to dance and sing again. I had gotten my life back.
My father is my hero. He didn’t just transform my life; he gave it back to me. This past summer I attended the U.S. Transplant Games with Team Maryland. I would be singing at the closing ceremony and competing as an athlete. My dad really helped me train. He became my coach. He helped me schedule times so I could meet with a professional track coach and I could learn how to do the long jump.
I came home with one gold medal and three silver medals. I got the gold in the long jump. But the medal that is the most meaningful to me is a silver medal I got in the 5k race. This event was open to everyone who attended the games. My father and I ran the entire race side by side. I wanted to quit but he kept pushing me. Both of us finished at the same time, but only I could win a medal because I was an organ recipient. When I received the silver medal it was actually my father, my hero and my organ donor, who deserved it.
Lisa Keezer, 33
Bloomington, IL
Liver recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Robert Bonner, Jr., Lisa’s brother
"The Ties That Bind ..."
I have had the fortitude to grow up in a household of five siblings—all of us quite close. I do not like to pick favorites, but I do share a special bond with my brother Bob—since he donated 60% of his liver to me 3 years ago….
"My Story ..."
At the age of 28, I was diagnosed with a rare liver disease, BuddChiari syndrome, which caused my liver to become cirrhotic and begin to fail. After having several life-threatening esophageal bleeds, I was placed at the top of the list for transplant, but no liver became available. Amazingly, I stabilized enough for the doctors to place a shunt in my liver, which helped to temporally decrease the pressure.
A follow-up biopsy 6 months later showed no improvement. My lab values were stable, but I became increasing tired, making it more and more difficult to perform activities of daily life. I still worked part-time as a pediatric nurse but would rarely do things outside of work because I was too exhausted. It was about 2 years after my diagnosis of liver disease that my doctors informed me that my best chance for survival was to have a living donor liver transplant. It is here that my brother Bob stepped in to save my life—and we underwent a successful live donor surgery on June 10th at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
"My Brother, My Hero ..." My brother has a contagious zest for life both personally and professionally. This attribute has enabled him to have a positive impact as an inner-city grade school teacher by inspiring his students to do their best. Prior to transplant, I became engaged and my fiancé asked Bob to be our best man, cementing our bond even further.
About 3 weeks after our surgery, my brother and I were able to talk to his students via a live video link arranged by his employer and the hospital. This was a way for them to see that we were both doing well and to ask questions. So inspiring is Bob to his students that they read poems they had written and one even sang a song. All of them learned from this experience how important organ donation is, and that one person can truly change another’s life in such a positive way. One of his fourth-grade students was quoted by a reporter saying “I learned that it takes a lot of heart to give up half of your liver to somebody.” I couldn’t agree more—he is my hero.
Since my transplant, I have gone back to work full-time as a pediatric nurse, married, participated in the Transplant Games and met my first nephew. Soon, my husband and I are planning to start a family of our own. My experience often seems very surreal, and I cannot express enough the amount of gratitude I have for my brother for making this part of my life possible.
Elizabeth Lentz, 53
Gate Mills, OH
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Rachel Lentz, Elizabeth’s daughter
We think of heroes as strong, muscular men, but heroes come in many forms. When my kidneys failed at the age of 50 I was told I needed to have a kidney transplant. I had always been healthy, so needless to say this came as a crushing blow. I became very sick and trips to the hospital were routine. Following so much bad news and failing health I was suddenly offered hope when, after extensive testing, my youngest daughter, Rachel, qualified to be my kidney donor. She was to be my hero.
She was 19 years old and had never spent time in the hospital or even had stitches. Rachel, with her flowing blond hair, was in the midst of her sophomore year at Ohio University, living in a dorm, meeting new friends, and enjoying a newly found independence. She cast all this aside, jeopardizing her education, and took off winter quarter to donate her right kidney to me. I know she was afraid but more than that she was determined to save me. I was afraid for her, and me.
We did our research and then I allowed the process of organ transplantation to begin. Despair changed to hope. We viewed the surgery as a lifesaving event. After almost a year of dialysis could I dare dream that my life could return to some semblance of normalcy? We had adjoining operating rooms and the feelings of love, concern, exhilaration, hope, and sheer fear filled us. The surgery was successful and amazing. What a time to be alive when such medical miracles can happen. But it couldn’t have happened if first my daughter didn’t have the courage and selflessness to offer such a generous gift. I am so proud of her and I believe she has discovered that she has the power to make great things happen in this world.
The healing began and time passed. I have resumed most of my prior activities. I enjoy my walks with my dog and the nature surrounding us. My life has returned to normal, even better, and I have changed. This experience has given me a sense of wonderment and appreciation and faith in mankind that seems hard to find in these days of war and terrorism. The young and innocent in our society see the good and the hope. They build instead of destroy. I am filled with awe and passion now. I spend time volunteering at LifeBanc telling my story in hopes that the need for organ donation be known.
My daughter and I often look at each other and can’t believe that a part of her lives in me keeping me alive. Whenever I am acting silly I attribute my behavior to the fact that I have her young, teenage kidney influencing me from within. A hero is someone who without regard for his or her own safety goes out on a limb to help someone else. Rachel is my hero. She gave me the gift of life.
Kathy Payne, 47
Conway, AR
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Shannon L. Payne, Kathy’s son
A Selfless Act
This is a story of life-giving decisions. It begins after several years of battling severe lupus. Due to the increasing difficulties of the disease, and the medications to fight it, I was believed to have been sterile. Against all odds, I conceived a son. The doctors cautioned of the grave consequences and begged me to terminate the pregnancy. Even still, I fought to give him life. Amid constant fears of flare-ups, the physicians warned that at the first sign of trouble, they would end the pregnancy. Every day was one day closer to a possibility of a full-term, healthy baby. With God’s help, my son Shannon was born.
Twenty-three years later, complications from decades of lupus had taken a cruel toll on my kidneys. I had little function left, and dialysis had become a bi-weekly reality. We began testing for compatibility for kidney donation among my family members, and many friends had generously offered to test as well. Only Shannon, the child for whom I had fought to give life, was a match. He was never asked; for him it was a clear decision. The thought of him going through such a serious operation was incomprehensible to me, even more so that he would insist so that I could have a better quality of life.
Once the match was made, we had little time to fully contemplate what was ahead of us. We stayed busy between doctor visits, tests, and my dialysis. Our transplant team was encouraging and understanding, but also respectful of our confidentiality. This allowed us to freely ask questions that were constantly arising.
Though we tried to remain strong and positive, my family and I were faced with emotions that we had never felt before. We found comfort in knowing that many prayers were going up on our behalf. I could only think of my son, and how this would affect his life. But Shannon’s mind was made up; he was doing this for me. Upon awakening from the surgery, the first thing I mumbled was, “How is Shannon?” It was clear by their smiles that the doctors had anticipated this, when they answered that the surgery was a perfect success. The physicians, nurses, and transplant team continued to care for us with compassion and expertise.
After such an enormous experience, it’s often very hard to grasp the reality of the event. When I think about how Shannon, at only 23 years old, selflessly put his mother before himself, I am truly amazed. His life-giving decision proved his strength, and honor, which is whole character. People have told us numerous times that Shannon has done a great thing. But I realize that it was much more than that: it was my life that he selflessly protected. It was the difference between a struggling existence, and a thriving life. I now carry a living part of my son within me, and for this I will always be grateful.
Thank you, Shannon.Love,
Your mom
Lacey Wood, 17
Placerville, CA
Kidney recipient
Nominated donor/float rider: Tyson Wood, Lacey’s brother
I am nominating my 19-year-old brother, Tyson Wood—my kidney donor. I just had my kidney transplant July 18, 2006 at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. As I write this I am about to be released to return to my home in California. I received a heart transplant as well when I was just a year and a half old when a virus attacked my heart. That was almost 16 years ago! My heart is doing great but I have been struggling with kidney failure for the past 2 years. Despite my heart transplant I had always been a very physically active person but the kidney failure was getting the best of me. I had played volleyball for my high school volleyball teams as a freshman and sophomore.
The week after my sophomore volleyball season ended, I wound up in the hospital with blood clots, kidney failure, blood pressure problems, and gout. I have spent a lot of time in the hospital, which meant being away from school and my friends. I was very weak and struggled with just day-to-day stuff. Life just wasn’t great but I tried to make the best of it. We tested my family and my brother ended up being a perfect 6/6 match for me! I have been very active in promoting organ donation ever since my heart transplant so I know just how lucky I am to have a willing donor that is such a great match.
Tyson was really happy when he found out he was the best one to do it because he really wanted be the one. He has always been there for me and for him to want to do this is just undescribable. Tyson has always helped me get through the hard times with his hilarious personality! I was scared for him because he has never even had a blood test before. I tried to tell him that it was going to be more than he thought but he was set on doing this without a doubt. He made it through the surgery with flying colors! After the surgery it was really cool because we got to compare scars and talk about different things that normally he didn’t understand. Now he has an idea of what life can be like and we will always be closer because of this.
Before my kidney transplant I didn’t know if I would ever do any of the sports I love so much again! But I am so excited because now, just a month after my transplant, I will be able to do everything again! I can’t wait to get back home to start what looks to be my best year in high school. It’s my senior year and I am feeling great! I may even try out for varsity volleyball! I also can’t wait for snowboarding season! Thanks to my brother I have a normal life once again! My brother is my hero and I am so proud of him!
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