Giving the gift of
life
 |
| Jane Biglin (L), Division Manager of Transplant
Surgery talks with Becky Nichols(R) at the University of Colorado Hospital's Workplace Partnership for Life kick-off in January, 2005. |
Becky’s dad always made her feel like she was #1 - her two sisters would
agree that their dad made them feel that way too. She realized that her dad
was different than many of her friends’ dads - he helped his daughters
with their homework, he helped them to solve their problems, he loved to tell
stories and had a great imagination. She knew she was lucky to have such a
wonderful dad.
Her dad, Bill, had fought health problems most of his life - diagnosed as
a Type I diabetic at age 18, he had open heart surgery at age 42, and was
placed on peritoneal dialysis at age 52. As her dad became more ill, Becky
moved back to Michigan from her work in Saudi Arabia to be closer to him.
Dialysis left Bill with no energy and he was required to do an "exchange"
every five hours around the clock.
Becky mentioned to her dad that she was going to drive to Phoenix to start
a travel assignment. He asked to go with her - he had always wanted to travel
on Route 66. Becky drove, and her dad sat in the passenger seat; Bill did
indeed travel on Route 66 and recalls it being a great time, even though he
slept through the whole trip.
Finally he was put on the list to receive a kidney. Becky realized that she
could be his donor - she just knew she would be a match with her dad, and
when tested, she was. Ironically, the first surgery she had ever observed
as a nursing student was a kidney donor surgery. On October 23, 1996, at the
University of Michigan Hospital, Becky gave her dad a present, the “gift
of life.”
Everything went smoothly with the transplant. The minute Bill woke up he was
full of life again, and he got up and walked down the hall. While Becky was
still recovering, he told her he wanted to start lifting weights. A month
later, he looked and acted 20 years younger. Six years later, Becky ran a
marathon.
Becky has a daughter now and is expecting another child- and she can see that
Bill is turning out to be just as wonderful a grandfather as he was a dad.
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