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Meeting Kindred Spirits
Transplant Patient Organizes a Support Group to Help Others Cope
Howard
Kindred took a personal trial and turned it into a triumph, not
only for himself but also for dozens of fellow
organ transplant candidates.
Kindred,
who received a liver transplant on June 24, 1995, at age 45, founded
the Northeastern Pennsylvania
Transplant Support Group
that same year to provide support, share information and increase
public awareness of organ transplantation.
"It’s
a tough roller coaster ride for the family,” Kindred
says of the long wait transplant candidates and their families
often face. “It was a very emotional time for my wife and
family."
 Kindred,
of East Stroudsburg, received a blood transfusion in 1971, was
diagnosed with Hepatitis C in
1993,
developed cirrhosis
of
the liver, and finally received his new liver two years later.
During his ordeal, Kindred worked hard to learn as much as he
could and kept records, with a broader purpose in mind.
"Going
through everything and doing my own research, I documented everything
to make it easier for the next transplant patient,” Kindred
says.
NEPATSG
started small, with just Kindred and his father-in-law, who was
visiting from Florida, at the first
meeting. But it
has developed into a strong, vital organization. The nonprofit
group
recently added a Hepatitis Division to help people affected
with Hepatitis C and increase community knowledge of the virus.
The
first Hepatitis C Awareness Walk is scheduled this fall.
"Getting
the support group started was trial and error,” Kindred
says. “The best place for getting the word out is getting
the doctors on board – to let them know the transplant
group is out there and to let patients know they have the
support out
there.”
NEPATSG
provides many resources, including examples of living wills, educational
information, financial
aid guidance, a
speaker’s
bureau and bringing transplant candidates and their families
together to share their concerns and feelings. Meetings are
held monthly
at the Pocono Medical Center, and there are currently 94
active members in the group.
Fund-raising
and community awareness activities include a newsletter, school
programs and an annual
Organ & Tissue Donor Walk, where
people pledge money for walkers.
The 2-year-old
Transplant Express is one of the most visible forms of immediate
help
for patients. The volunteer program
provides emergency rides for transplant candidates when an
organ becomes
available or if they have no other way to get to dialysis
or doctors’ appointments.
Kindred
takes pride in the volunteer spirit that keeps the focus of the
group squarely
on those it aims to help.
"The
greatest thing is that the organization is in the basement of my
house,” Kindred says. “No
one gets paid – they’re
all volunteers. All of the money raised goes for educational
purposes.”
This article appeared in IMAGES of the Pocono Mountains
Magazine in May/June 2004.
Story by Anne Gillem
Photo by Stephen Cherry
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