Chance conversation leads to kidney transplant, new bond between two Twinsburg women
It all stemmed from a chance conversation.
Jill Buckeye was having blood drawn at the Cleveland Clinic Twinsburg Family Health & Surgery Center in October by Jaylin Chadwell, 22, of Twinsburg. Chadwell works as a phlebotomy technician at the facility.
"Jaylin had recognized me as a regular, and she asked me 'why am I taking so much blood from you today?'" said Buckeye, who also lives in Twinsburg.
Buckeye, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1966 when she was 7 years old, was told by her doctors three years ago that her glomerular filtration rate — which measures kidney function — was dropping, so she had been placed on a kidney transplant list. The bloodwork was to monitor her kidney function as she waited for a new kidney.
"I did OK for the first two years, but on the third year I really started to drop," Buckeye said.
Other friends had come forward, as well as her husband, as prospective donors — but up until then, no one had been a match.
Chadwell had the blood type A-positive, which is shared by 33% of the Caucasian population, and it was the same blood type Buckeye had. So, half-joking, Buckeye asked Chadwell, "did you want to give me a kidney?"
"And she said yes," Buckeye said.
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"I've been talking about being an organ donor since I was 12," said Chadwell, whose grandfather had died of kidney cancer several years ago.
Chadwell received a bachelor's degree in hospitality management from Kent State University. Had things gone according to her original plans after graduation, she would not even have been working at the Twinsburg facility.
"COVID hit when I graduated, so [hospitality management] was not a good career to be in," Chadwell said. She added that she grew up in Minerva, but that she and her twin sisters moved to the area to attend Kent State University. One of her sisters, who went into the medical field, encouraged Chadwell to apply for a job at the Cleveland Clinic's phlebotomy lab in Twinsburg. "I think the fact that I went for a completely different degree and wound up in this position, everything led to this moment. It was meant to be."
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Large gap between available kidneys and patients in need
Dr. Alvin Wee, a surgeon with the Cleveland Clinic's transplant center, said that in the second week of May, there were 90,000 people across the nation waiting for a kidney donation.
"In 2021, we did the most kidney donations in U.S. history, but there's still a big balance," he said.
One advantage with kidney donations is that, unlike most organ donations, a living donor can be used.
Potential donors "go through a very rigorous test," Wee said, which includes physical and mental screenings. Those with diabetes or hypertension are not eligible to donate. After testing, the prospective donor meets a committee, which includes surgeons and social workers. If the person passes this screening, they are eligible to become a donor.
"We always want to protect the donor," Wee said. "They can step back at any time, without giving a reason."
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The biggest question prospective donors have is whether they assume the risk of harm down the line, Wee said.
"It is not true that this will shorten your life," Wee said. "We've been doing this so long, studies have shown this is safe. We make sure the donors are qualified. If there's any potential for a problem, we will decline them. The donor will always be No. 1."
The surgeries and aftermath
Initially, Buckeye and Chadwell were going to be part of a kidney swap; Buckeye was going to get a kidney from another individual when that person's spouse wasn't a match. One of the parties of the swap, however, contracted COVID-19 shortly before the scheduled surgery.
So, Chadwell wound up donating one of her kidneys, with the surgery on March 15.
"It's our new birthday," Buckeye said.
Both women were discharged two days later, and in a recent interview said they were back to work and doing well.
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"Knock on wood, I'm doing very well," Buckeye said. "I'm back to work, exercising." She works as a national product sales manager at Best Supply, an interior building supplier in North Canton.
Buckeye said she still has her blood checked regularly, and Chadwell performs the draw. This is done to ensure there's no organ rejection or other issues.
Chadwell said she is completely back to normal. She was given six weeks' medical leave to recover.
"The first two days were the hardest for me," she said. "Nausea was the biggest problem. The pain was well-managed. The first couple of weeks I was a bit down, and out but then I had a slow return to normal."
She recommended that prospective donors "ask for a nausea patch before going into surgery."
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Chadwell said she would eventually like to be a donor advocate.
"Keep in mind throughout the whole process that this is a gift," she said. "It's something you have to be sure of. You have to be committed to the process: the doctor's visits, the tests. I've given her something no one else could. That feeling is indescribable."
Buckeye said that she will have her blood checked and be on anti-rejection medications "for life," but she's grateful.
"I'm just blessed," Buckeye said. "She's given me life, forever. How do you thank someone for that? Every day I thank her. I'm feeling great. There's always a chance for rejection, but I'm a positive person."
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Two Twinsburg women forge lifelong bond through kidney transplant
