William Penn Life, 1989 (24. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1989-02-01 / 2. szám
February 1989, William Penn Life, Page 3 Mother’s kidney gives son years of normal life Branch 89 members Mark Richardson and his mother Stephanie are doing well, their doctors say. (Photo by Fran Kittek/The Morning Call) By Tim Reeves The Morning Call BETHLEHEM, PA — When 19- year-old Mark Richardson of Bethlehem Township went to the doctor in November 1987 for his semi-annual kidney checkup, he and his family expected to hear the usual things-are-fine report. As an infant, Mark, a member of William Penn Branch 98 Bethlehem, had suffered a urethral blockage that permanently damaged his kidneys. But the kidneys still chugged along, albeit at a reduced rate, and Mark was able to live a normal life — excelling in sports at Freedom High School and Northampton Community College while blossoming into a strapping young man — 6 feet 2 inches and more than 180 pounds. "Everything was fine,” said his mother, Stephanie Richardson. "Mark was asymptomatic. We had no reason to believe there would be any change.” At that November 1987 examination, the Richardsons’ doctor noticed a slight decline in Mark’s kidneys. Another appointment was made for last February. By February, Mark’s kidneys were performing at about 10 or 11 percent of their capacity. Mark was starting to feel sluggish. And, for the first time, the word transplant began to be commonly heard in the Richardson home. Today, Mark’s kidneys are doing just fine — or at least his third one is. It’s the one that’s doing all the work. It’s the one that used to be his mother’s. On Sept. 6, 1988, Dr. Stuart Greenstein, a transplant specialist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, removed one of Stephanie Richardson’s ribs, lifted out one of her kidneys and attached it inside Mark. Stephanie’s kidneys are supporting two lives now. And both mother and son feel great. "It should last me about seven years,” said Mark, who already is talking about lifting weights again. The prospect of a third bout with major surgery before the age of 30 might leave some depressed. But Mark thinks he’s lucky. Had his mother not given her kidney, he would be on a dialysis machine by now — "a slave to it,” in the words of Dr. Greenstein — waiting, waiting, waiting for a telephone call that an organ donor had just died. "Mark was fortunate,” Greenstein said. "(With the) waiting list, he could wait a year and a half, two years. There are a lot of Mark Richardsons out there who need kidneys who don’t have a Stephanie Richardson to give them a kidney.” Not every parent agrees to make the sacrifice, Greenstein said. For those who do, it is "the ultimate act of love.” "It was never a question of if I would do it,” said Stephanie, a member of Branch 98 and daughter of retired National V ice President Stephen M. Lang Jr. "When someone gives you the choice there really is no choice. I was worried that I couldn’t do it.” Before Greenstein performs a transplant, the donor and recipient must pass a battery of tests designed to ensure that the donor comes out of the operation as healthy as he or she went in and to limit chances the recipient will reject the new organ. Sometimes, the tests seemed to tough to pass. "They wanted a 22-year-old body, and mine is not,” said Stephanie with a laugh. In preparation for the transplant, Mark took weekly blood tests at St. Luke’s Hospital. He went through three blood transfusions with his mother’s blood to see how he reacted. "They are just very moral in their approach,” Stephanie said of her doctors. "They will not endanger the donor in any way, shape or form. At one point, I said, 'That’s my choice. It’s my body.’ and he (Greenstein) said, 'No, I won’t do it.’” The operation itself was the easy part, she said, though plenty painful afterward. "They fold you like a fish. It is painful. They tell you that up front,” Stephanie said. "The worst one was my husband,” she said, nodding to Don Richardson. "He had to worry about both of us coming out, one of us, none of us ... .” "You do get kind of torn apart at the end,” Don said. Both Stephanie and Mark recovered quickly, particularly Mark. They were back home 10 days after the operation. "Mark was ready to go home after the seventh day,” Stephanie said. "Really ready. I had to take his pants away.” "Three days after the operation, he’s like a whole new kid,” agreed Don. Soon, Mark will be able to do virtually whatever he wants, save for tackle football. But he still must treat his new organ with love, the same loving care his mother showed in giving it, Greenstein said. "You have to nurture it once you have it,” he said. "Mark’s work is just started. It’s like taking care of a new baby.” Wisconsin member wins more than $39 million in Illinois lottery drawing By Larry Finley The Chicago Sun-Times What does a 60-year-old working guy from Wisconsin say when he learns he has won $39,585,968, the second largest prize in the history of the Illinois lottery drawing? "Oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God,” John Evancho, a member of Branch 275 Milwaukee told a packed press conference recently. "I finally know what it is to go into shock,” the construction company manager from Waukesha explained. "I had been snoozing in my easy chair. My wife . . . she thought I had a heart attack. If anything is going to give you a heart attack, $37 million is about as close as you are going to come.” He later learned that the amount was even more. He said he slept six hours in the three days following the Dec. 24 drawing. "You can’t sleep ... It still hasn’t really settled in.” Evancho said his family usually spends about $50 a week on tickets, but paid $70 the week of the drawing to give some tickets as Christmas presents, using birthdates and other dates important to Evancho. Evancho is a trucking manager for a construction company, Spancrete Industries of Waukesha, "until they find a replacement.” His wife already has quit her job with a sand and gravel company. The first year’s prize of $1,984,968 will be divided among Evancho; his wife, Maryanne, and his two single daughters, Darlene, 36, and Cynthia,. 27. "I don’t want to change,” his wife said. "I want to still be the way we always were, if we can.” Evancho said they may use the money to help their relatives and build a home in Arizona because his wife has arthritis and the move would improve her health. Evancho is a former smoker and throat cancer patient who said he spends about $50 a week on the lottery that he used to spend on cigars. "I don’t drink, I don’t chase strange women and I don’t smoke no more, so I’m going to buy lottery tickets,” he said. Cynthia, an accountant, said she had different ideas about what they can do with the money, but' 'we agreed that no one would tell the others how to use their money.” "We are very close,” his wife said. "We are always together. We always do everything together. We always help one another all the time.” After the first check, the family will receive $1,975,000 a year, minus taxes, for the next 19 years. In addition to winning nearly $40 million, Evancho had another Lotto ticket with four of the six numbers that paid him $80. A 1 percent reward, about $390,585, went to the seller of the winning ticket, Jerry Robb, owner of the Comer, a gas station convenience store in a northern suburb of Chicago. Fortune struck the business just in time to benefit Robb. A new owner took over Jan. 1, an employee at the store said. Evancho is the brother of Stephen J. Ivancso Sr., a member of the William Penn’s Board of Directors from Toledo, Ohio. Director Ivancso said his brother moved his family from Toledo to Wisconsin 20 years ago and spells his Hungarian surname phonetically. "All we know is, he’s a millionaire, and God bless him,” Director Ivancso said.------Moving?-----If you have recently moved or are planning to move, please notify our office so that we can update our records and make sure you keep receiving the William Penn Life. Please print the necessary information below. Name: Certificate No.: Branch No.: Old Address: New Address. □ I am a William Penn member, but I do not receive the William Penn Life. Please add me to your mailing list at no charge. □ I am receiving more than one copy of the publication each month. Please cancel the extra copies. Send the above information to: John E. Lovász, Managing Editor William Penn Life 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Articles and photographs for the March issue of the William Penn Life are due in our office by February 17,1989
