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Cuyahoga Falls man's new kidney is donated by his wife
By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal columnist
Published on Monday, Aug 04, 2008
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things — 1 Corinthians 13:7
For me, Michele and Ernest ''Ernie'' Calhoun are the embodiment of true love.
After learning about an extraordinary event in their lives; I asked the Cuyahoga Falls couple to share their story.
Days earlier, the couple — married 39 years — had been patients at Akron City Hospital, where Michele donated a kidney to Ernie.
Those close to them have long been convinced theirs was a match made in heaven. Now there was irrefutable evidence.
Ernie had been on dialysis since April.
''That was a huge adjustment for me,'' he said.
Much more emotional than physical. That's because his mother died three years earlier from circulatory issues. ''She
spent the last few weeks on dialysis. So, I had some misconceptions about what it meant,'' Ernie said.
Even so, he was buttressed by his faith and his family.
Ernie, 56, began receiving peritoneal dialysis — an overnight, in-home hookup — in April.
Convenient, yes. But not always with the best results.
''His body just wasn't getting rid of all of the toxins,'' said his wife, Michele — a secretary with Akron Schools who sounds more like a nurse these days courtesy of all of the peritoneal training she and her husband have had.
Early on, Dr. Richard May, her husband's nephrologist (kidney specialist), encouraged the Calhouns to try to pursue a kidney transplant.
''He's too young to be on dialysis,'' Michele Calhoun said the doctor told them.
So, the Calhouns met with Summa's transplant team a few months ago and embarked on that uncertain journey. ''They told us it would be best to get a living donor if we could,'' Michele said.
''The biggest issue was getting the word out [to potential donors].''
Siblings usually provide the best chance for a match. While Ernie's three sisters might have been willing, they weren't able because each is diabetic.
The couple's four daughters were tested, but all had negative antigens (chemical markers).
Michele — who is white; her husband is African-American — said she ''chanced down there to be tested.''
Several days later, they received the good news.
''I was in the car heading to the hospital, where Ernie was undergoing a heart catherization, when my cell phone rang,'' Michele recalled.
It was the transplant team announcing, ''We have a kidney.''
''I almost ran into the curb.''
The news proved even brighter when she learned the would-be donor was her.
''I never felt an ounce of trepidation about my decision. Not then. Not now,'' said Michele who underwent an extensive battery of pre-surgery testing in the weeks leading up to the operation.
''My surgeon [Dr. John D. Wegryn] said he couldn't have asked for a better textbook case,'' she said.
The laproscopic surgery, done these days with an incision through the patient's navel, lasted about three hours.
Ernie's surgery, which lasted a little longer, was handled by Dr. Santosh Potdar, head of Summa's transplant program.
''I couldn't believe Ernie called me in my room at 4 o'clock from ICU,'' Michele said.
''I just needed to hear her voice and to know she was OK,'' he said.
The high blood pressure, which fueled Ernie's kidney failure, was with him from the time he played football at Akron Garfield High School.
''I've been an athlete all my life,'' Ernie said. ''Every year when I had my football physical, I would always be told my blood pressure was a little high. But it was never something I was told had to be treated.''
He would hear similar, non-threatening messages over the years at job physicals.
''I was always in such excellent shape that I didn't think much about it. . . . ''
Neither did Michele — his high school sweetheart, wife and mother of the couple's four daughters.
But that all changed 16 years ago when Ernie and one of his daughters were involved in a car accident.
Their car was rear-ended and Ernie ended up in the emergency room. ''His blood pressure was off the charts and they refused to release him,'' Michele said.
Around this time, he became a patient of the late Dr. Margo Prade. ''She was so invested in his care. . . . After her death, he bounced around to different doctors.''
His blood pressure, while under control, was always creeping up.
Nine years ago. Dr. Titus Sheers pinpointed the severity of the situation when he ordered a battery of tests.
That's when the Calhouns learned Ernie's kidneys were functioning at 52 percent.
Things were stable for while.
''Then I started retaining water. A sign they were shutting down,'' Ernie said.
''He had pneumonia four times in six months,'' Michele said.
Her husband is University of Akron graduate who worked 23 years at Goodrich in polymer sales. He is in his second career as a career preparation teacher at Akron's Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts.
Also teachers are he couple's four daughters — Monica Rogers of Hudson, Melissa Powers of Akron, Megan Pooler of Ravenna and Meredith Patterson of Akron.
The Calhouns are looking forward to grandchild No. 17 in February.
Just before the couple's surgery, grandchild No. 16 — Alijah Patterson — was born June 17 at 29 weeks, weighing only 1 pound 11 ounces. Understandably, that rattled everyone's nerves. ''And we thought about postponing the transplant because of it,'' Michele said. But they were advised against it.
Fortunately, Alijah, who is still a patient in Akron Children's Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, has turned a corner. He now weighs three pounds. And he's already been held by Grandma. Grandpa has plans to do the same soon.
The Calhouns were Summit County Children Services Board's ''Foster Parents of the Year'' in 1991 after fostering more than 35 children over 20 years. They also adopted a son, Michael, who is 24.
So, it's always been family first with the Calhouns.
And, of course, these days, they're even more connected — in mind, body and spirit. And that's a beautiful thing.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
Get the full article here.
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