When Craig Daley of Ormond Beach, FL found out in 1994 he had Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a genetic disease that affects almost 500,000 people in the U.S. annually, he had no idea that Donald 'Mark' Pratt, a pastor from South Whitley, a small town of about 1000 people outside of Ft Wayne, Indiana, would find him on the website Matchingdonors.com and be his new 'brother' by donating a kidney some 13 years later. Daley was diagnosed in 1994 and told that his kidneys would eventually fail and be forced to receive dialysis treatments while awaiting the hope of the gift of life--a kidney transplant.
Daley went into End Stage Renal Failure in April 2005 and started to receive dialysis treatments but with one challenge. Daley, being adopted, had no living known relatives he could turn to for a donation and if he could find any, would be faced with a 50% chance that any blood-related relative would carry the same disease. After doing the research on kidney transplants and blood types, Daley learned that the best chances for long-term transplant success were with living donors vs. deceased donors. He then found Matchingdonors.com, a non-profit website who matches profiles of people in need of kidneys, liver, pancreas or other vital organs an opportunity to be matched with volunteer healthy donors. The website is funded entirely by donations and registration fees and, while controversial to some, made this unlikely match a new life friendship and priceless gift.
About 8 months ago while visiting Miami, Daley received a call on his cell phone from Pratt, stating he had seen his profile on Matchingdonors.com and was willing to be tested as a potential donor with the same blood type. 'I was blown away', says Daley. 'I never thought I would actually find someone I had never met who would be willing to give me a kidney'. A visit to Florida and Shands Hospital at the University of Florida was arranged for Pratt this past summer and the two met for the first time.
'it was like we had known each other forever, Pratt says. 'I got off the plane and it was like seeing my brother for the first time. It's something I felt compelled to do--if I can help someone else have life by giving a part of myself, then that's the right thing to do.' After a battery of tests for both donor and recipient, it was determined by the renal transplant team at Shands that Daley and Pratt were compatible. A date was set for late November 2007. 'It really started to get exciting at that point' said Lara Copello, long-time girlfriend and fiancee of Daley. 'I had never known him when he had a properly-functioning kidney. He really looks a lot healthier'.
On Sunday, November 25, 2007, Mark Pratt and his wife, Michelle, flew into Gainesville, FL to meet Craig and Lara for the procedure at Shands Hospital. 'We were an immediate family' says the couples. Michelle and Lara, both having a background in healthcare, proved to be a big help in the facilitation and recovery of donor and recipient.
On the morning of November 27, Mark Pratt's left kidney was removed and placed in the front right abdomen of Craig Daley for a total surgical success. According to surgeons, the kidney started working before the transplant was complete and was functioning at optimal levels within hours. Pratt and Daley were even allowed to be roommates in the hospital during the recovery period.
Pratt, an avid Dallas Cowboys fan and Daley, a staunch Florida Gators fan, believe they have left each with a part of them--both figuratively and literally. 'I wouldn't be surprised if Craig finds an urge to watch Dallas Cowboy's football a lot more', says Pratt and Daley says, 'we sent Mark home a converted Gator with lots of Gator Gear to wear. I am amazed at the kindest and generosity of once a complete stranger who is now an adopted brother and lifelong friend. Mark gave me the gift of life and how can you ever show enough gratitude for that?'
As of late 2007, more than 75,000 patients are currently registered on the kidney transplant waiting list at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in the United States. For more information on being a volunteer donor or placing a profile needing an organ donation, go to: www.matchingdonors.com.
