North Canton woman's kidney donation saves 2 lives, including her son's

Nearly two years ago, Eric Jones was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure, the result of previously undiagnosed high blood pressure.

In response, his mom, Linda Liberator, did what almost any parent would do. Over her son's objections, the North Canton woman began undergoing a battery of tests in March 2022 at University Hospitals in Cleveland to donate one of her kidneys.

"By the end of July, I had been approved to be an organ donor. I was his perfect match," she said. "At first, I was told I was too old to be donor, which, as a mother, it crushes you to hear that when you want to do whatever you can to save your child."

Here's where it gets interesting: Liberator learned that if she were willing to be a "living donor" by giving her kidney to a stranger and not just her son, her son would be moved to the top of the national recipient list, thus enabling her to save the lives of two people.

"Due to the age difference, they wanted to do what's called a 'paired donation,'" she explained. "So, I agreed to donate my kidney to a complete stranger and in return, through the National Kidney Registry, my son would get a kidney."

The stranger turned out to be Michael Dailey, 77, of Warren. The three recently got together at Tozzi's On 12th restaurant to celebrate Jones' and Dailey's recoveries and to raise money and awareness for organ donation.

"If we can get more people to become donors, we can abolish the shortage for organs and save more lives," Liberator said. "Everyone has the chance to give someone the second chance in life."

More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant, with 85% of them needing a kidney, according to Donate Life America.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 37 million U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease, while 786,000 are living with kidney failure. An estimated 25,000 people last year received a kidney transplant, but many more are waiting on a transplant list, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

The group estimated that 12 people a day die while waiting.

'I'm going to change someone's life tomorrow for the better.'

Liberator, who was 67 at the time, donated her kidney on Sept. 7, 2022.

She was nervous before. But a euphoric feeling came over her on the drive to the hospital.

"I started to get tears in my eyes," she recalled. "My husband said to me, 'Linda, why are you crying?' And I said, 'Mark, because I'm going to change someone's life tomorrow for the better.'"

Dailey, who went on the University Hospitals transplant list in 2018, said his health problems began when he was 63. Doctors noticed his creatine and glomerular filtration rate levels were low for his age.

His kidneys "were just slowly deteriorating a little bit each year," he said.

Meanwhile, Jones, a pipefitter and married father from Massillon, was diagnosed on Dec. 10, 2021. The problem was discovered after he broke his foot and doctors discovered unusually high blood pressure.

Hypertension and diabetes are two of the leading causes of kidney failure, he learned.

The 45-year-old, who admits to avoiding checkups in the past, noted that he would not have known he was in kidney failure were it not for the "lucky" break.

"I'm glad this happened so I can tell my friends and other people that 'You need to go to the doctor,'" he said.

Jones and Dailey offered cadaver kidneys

Following his diagnosis, Jones spent five months on home dialysis. He had a tube that came out of his stomach and he had to flush it four times a day.

"I've never felt so bad in my life," he said." But it got me by and it got me through. Without Mom, you know, I might have had to wait, I don't know, who knows how long. Some people wait four, five, six, seven, eight, 10 years. Some people never get there."

While waiting, Dailey said he was offered several cadaver kidneys, including one that belonged to a prisoner who had hepatitis C, which is curable.

"But I was in such good shape I was never on dialysis, which was good," he said. "I was very fortunate and I did not accept them but it was getting to the point where I was probably going to have to accept a deceased kidney. I went up for my yearly physical, and when I left there, they said 'We think there might be a little issue with your heart,' which I never had. So, the next day, the phone rings and it's University Hospital and they say 'We've got good news' and I said, 'Oh my heart's good.' They said 'No, we have a living donor for you.'"

Jones, because of his low antibodies and his blood type, too, received several offers of cadaver kidneys.

"It's a crazy system because I would get calls from Florida, like some random number," he said. "And actually we were up at, UH, and Mom was doing her final testing; I didn't want her to donate, period, but she's doing it. I'm sitting there in the lobby and I get a phone call for a deceased kidney and I'm like, 'You've got me so backwards right now. I don't know what to do.' So, I asked them to call me back. I spoke with my surgeon and I'm like, 'What would you do it if this was your son?' He said 'Yes, I would tell my son to take this. I knew about the offer before they called you.'"

Dailey and Liberator recover on the same floor

By chance, Dailey and Liberator ended up the same surgical floor.

"We probably saw each other out in the hallways, but never recognized one another," Dailey said. "I would walk the halls and she would walk the halls. I knew that the person (donor) was there."

Dailey had an excellent recovery.

"The next day, within 24 hours, I was walking," he said. "I walked out of the hospital, which they said was pretty amazing. Three weeks later — and this is the hard part — I go up for my checkup, and she had written a letter, 'To the recipient.' I couldn't read the letter because I was so (emotional). My friend who took me up, my buddy's wife, she read the letter."

In her letter, Liberator explained how she made her decision, Dailey said.

"She said that no matter what, it was the right thing to do to help, save someone's life, which it did and she put her phone number and address, and we've been in contact ever since," he said. "We met back in May for the very first time. It's like, I got a new best friend here. It's awesome."

Liberator teased Dailey that now that he has her kidney, he now can use the ladies' tee when playing golf.

"Yeah, my buddies wouldn't let me get away with that," he replied, laughing.

Jones received his new kidney at University Hospitals on Sept. 29, 2022. Because of dialysis, his recovery was a little more complicated than Dailey's. A severe allergic reaction to anti-rejection medication meant a longer stay in the hospital. He must undergo a monthly infusion, most likely for life.

"I feel 95% better," he said, adding that he doesn't know the identity of his anonymous donor.

"I sent a letter to my donor," he said. "I'm just thankful for whoever it was. I think of them daily. Maybe someday I'll get to meet them."

When it comes to donating an organ, Liberator has learned that other factors, such as her perfect blood match with her son, are just as important as age. Others include a person's overall health and habits such as smoking and drinking.

"I think a lot of people think there's like an age limit — there's not; that was a thing years ago," she said. "So, that's how we ended up doing the paired donation, and being here tonight. If I can get one person to become an organ donor, one person to change their mind. I still have my zest for life, I still run, I still do all the things I enjoyed prior to donation. If I were to go into kidney failure, I move right up to the top of the ranks; I get a kidney right away, but do you know how many times they've had to offer that to a living kidney donor? None."

Lifebanc CEO Gordon Bowen: 'Be a hero'

Liberator plans to volunteer with Lifebanc (which was not involved her donation) as one way to raise awareness.

Gordon Bowen is the CEO of Lifebanc, the largest organ-procurement organization in Northeast Ohio.

"We tell everyone, please don't rule yourself out; let us rule you out," he said. "The reason being is just in Ohio there are 2,700 people currently waiting for an organ transplant, about 1,700 of them in Northeast Ohio, either waiting at the Cleveland Clinic or University Hospital."

Lifebanc works with 80 hospitals in 20 counties, including Stark. When a person dies in a hospital, Lifebanc is notified. Lifebanc, in turn, contacts surviving family members for a possible donation.

Lifebanc also offers grief counseling for donor families.

Bowen said that although the need is acute, only about 2% of people meet the criteria for successful organ donation, "so the numbers are quite small in terms of the potential," which is why more registrations are needed.

"Last year in the state of Ohio, there were only 860 organ donors," he said. "So, if you do the math, 860 donors and 2,700 waiting, you can see the disparity."

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Linda Liberator of North Canton saves 2 lives by donating kidney