Woodland Park veterinarian with a 'heart of gold' now has a good kidney, too
The spiritual might call it instant karma, while the pragmatic chalk it up to the efficacy of St. Barnabas' Kidney Paired Donation program. Either way, a veterinarian from Woodland Park got a lifesaving kidney donation.
Mark Salemi had been waiting for more than a year for a matching donor and last month found one through the St. Barnabas program, which greatly shortens the wait time for a kidney.
In the months after Salemi's wife, Ann, wrote a letter to the community pleading for potential donors, 17 people came forward to volunteer.
It was a testament to the high regard for Salemi, a popular veterinarian who served three terms on the Woodland Park school board and works for the Board of Health.
"I guess treating people with respect goes a long way," Salemi said.
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In the end, it was Jayme Miller, a former employee at Salemi's Staten Island veterinary practice, who gave up a kidney. She had promised to be there if she was ever needed.
"Everybody says that," Salemi said, but when it became apparent that he was going to need the kidney, "she said, 'let's get this done.'"
"I said, really?" Salemi recalled. "She said, 'Yeah.'"
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Miller said she was more than willing even though she doesn't get paid for time out of work. She works for New York City, and public employees do not get paid leave for such absences.
Woodland Park Mayor Keith Kazmark said Salemi's long public service has made him a much-respected member of the community.
Although his practice is in Staten Island, he makes house calls for residents in Woodland Park.
"Mark has a heart of gold," Kazmark said of him in January. "He is incredibly committed to his family, his community and all his four-legged friends."
Kidney disease
Last summer, Salemi's polycystic kidney disease started to become a serious medical concern. His kidney function dropped to less than 15% and he was told it was time to start looking for a donor.
The original diagnosis of PKD came more than 23 years ago, when he was told that there was a strong likelihood that one day he may need a kidney.
It also became increasingly apparent that the wait for a cadaver kidney would be long —from five to seven years.
If he could find a living donor, that would greatly reduce wait times and get him off dialysis.
"It really beats you up," Salemi said.
Paired donation programs benefit someone who needs a kidney and has a willing donor who is incompatible. That donor's kidney would go to someone else compatible, and in return a kidney would be matched to the original candidate. St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston has one of the largest such programs in the country, hospital officials said.
Salemi says he's hopeful about his recovery and is gratified that his sister, who also has PKD, received a liver and kidney transplant last summer.
He has two boys who need him and looks forward to continuing to participate in Woodland Park, where he's lived since 1998.
For more information, visit rwjbh.org/ldi and rwjbh.org/livingdonorreferralform.
Matt Fagan is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: fagan@northjersey.com
Twitter: @fagan_nj
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Woodland Park NJ: Veterinarian Mark Salemi gets kidney donor
