Northeast Pennsylvania Transplant Support Group

Alice Lewis, Kidney Transplant Recepient

Alice Lewis waited a long time for her new kidney. She waited since October 18, 1994, when her own failed kidneys forced Lewis into a regimen of three trips each week to a dialysis machine that cleaned her blood and kept her alive. Arriving at 6 a.m., Lewis was hooked up to the equipment for the next five and a half hours. Then the Oak Street woman would drive to All American Olympic on Second Street to work the remaining time on her eight-hour shift at the football equipment refurbishing company. "I was working everyday," said the 60-year-old Lewis.

Blood samples would be sent to Lehigh Valley Hospital to help monitor her deteriorating health. To minimize the strain on her blood system, Lewis was limited to 3.2 ounces of water a day and largely avoided eating meat. "Chicken wings and that's it," Lewis said of her diet, "and I would eat a lot of vegetables." She lost weight. To help stave off life-threatening infections in her damaged gums, all her teeth were pulled.

All the while Lewis' name was on a LVH waiting list with other kidney transplant hopefuls. They await word that someone, perhaps a recently deceased car accident victim or an altruistic living donor, had a healthy kidney to donate to a compatible person in need. She kept her bags packed, just in case.

At first it appeared her wait wouldn't be a long one. In 1995, Lewis received a call telling her to stay close to the phone because a kidney was expected to be available within hours. She waited all day and all night. "The next day I called and they said it went to somebody else," Lewis recalled.

As the years went by, the waiting continued. Only now it also was a race against time, since prolonged reliance on dialysis can lead to weakened bones and other complications. "My family gave me hope that I would find one some day," said Lewis. "I kept praying and praying." Lewis thought of her late husband, her companion of 30 years who died in 1994. "My husband died waiting for a kidney transplant," said Lewis. She wondered if the same fate would befall her.

Then on July 23, Lewis got the call she had prayed for but feared would never come. "You have a kidney," said the voice on the other end of the line. Lewis simply couldn't believe it. "I said, "No I don't" Lewis replied. "I hung up on the lady!" The lady called back and told Lewis it was no joke, that a kidney was waiting for her. "She called me at 3:30 and asked if I could be there at quarter after six. Lewis rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital, unable to contain her excitement. "I couldn't find the front door. I couldn't find anything because I was crazy over getting a kidney."

The organ had belonged to a 25-year-old New York man. "The family wanted to give to sombody who could really use the kidney," said Lewis. Early on July 24, Lewis received her new lease on life. She is resting comfortably at home, gets regular checkups in East Stroudsburg from Dr. Peter Casale and expects to return to work in four to six weeks. But she must remain forever vigilant. To prevent infection and keep her body from rejecting the "foreign" kidney, Lewis takes $2,500 worth of medicines each day. She heeps a list of everything she eats.

Lewis feels truly blessed to have her new kidney. She urges families to consider donating a kidney to the National Kidney Foundation, so others in her situation can have a full life. Lewis is also grateful to the Kidney Support Group at Pocono Medical Center, which helps keep her spirits high. "As soon as I heard of that support group I went right down because I don't want to feel sorry for myself and be consumed with worry," said Lewis. "That's what gave me strength to carry on."

She looks forward to life with her new kidney. "It'll last me a lifetime, they said, "if you take care of it."

This story appeared on page A-4, Tuesday, September 4, 2001 in the Pocono Record.