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Nancy Watts
For Kidney Recipient the Urge to Give Back is Overwhleming "I knew my body was full of poison," said Watts, a Lexington resident. "After two treatments, my whole attitude changed. You will choose to live." That poison – waste, salt and excess water – is normally removed by the kidneys. After two heart attacks, one in 1990 and one in 2001, both of Watts' kidneys had shut down. Every other day for three years, Watts underwent dialysis using a machine to remove waste normally removed by kidneys. She was able to continue working, thanks to a flexible schedule, a supportive company and her family. Her son, daughter and husband took turns driving her to the dialysis center in the afternoon. The treatment lasted up to four hours. "The hardest thing was seeing people die," Watts said. "There were adults, children, teens and young mothers undergoing dialysis along with me. It is crushing to see many with their whole lives ahead melting away." Watts' doctor told her the dialysis was wearing out her body. She needed to be on the organ transplant list. In October 2003 Watts was referred to the University of Kentucky Transplant Center and in January 2004 she was approved for the transplant list. Within a week, Watts received a late night phone call. She was awake working on a presentation for the next day. The caller told Watts to get to the UK Transplant Center as quickly as possible. A kidney was available. "I told her 'You've got the wrong person. It's another Nancy Watts. I've only been on the list for a short time,'" Watts said. "She assured me I was the correct person and told me not to get too excited. I wasn't the primary candidate for the transplant." Watts went in, fully expecting to go to work the next day, without a transplant. But she received word that she would get the kidney transplant that day. "I felt this guilt, universal among recipients. Someone had to die for me to live," Watts said. "The nurses were fabulous. They seemed to know what I was thinking. One nurse said, 'It's wonderful when someone gives the gift of life when they no longer have it.'" Recovery didn't go as hoped. The kidney wasn't functioning, and Watts was forced to go back on dialysis for several weeks. Her doctor told her the transplanted kidney may be dead or dying, and a biopsy was planned. The kidney might have to be removed. "I'm not saying it didn't break my heart," Watts said. "I felt like I let the donor down." The day before the scheduled biopsy, the kidney started working. Watts' feelings of guilt were replaced by an overwhelming urge to repay the donor. She contacted Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) and was volunteering within two weeks. When asked by KODA to speak to a group of high school students, Watts knew she was outside her comfort zone. "The teenagers terrified me. I had to change my vocabulary, mode of speaking and dress," Watts said. "I was surprised by their level of understanding of such an adult issue. They became participants, asking questions. They'd walk out thinking and ready to go home and talk to their parents." Her work with KODA and with her company helped Watts through the recovery process. She had always been high energy but had to make herself move after the transplant. It became easier with each day. Watts said she had at one time resigned herself to dying. She now considers herself one of the luckiest people in the world and believes she is alive for a reason. She will continue to be an advocate for organ donation and encourages potential donors to make an informed decision. Watts' experience taught her that life is a gift, no matter the obstacles. She continues to look after her health, taking heart medication and immunosuppressant medication to prevent organ rejection – a total of 22 pills each day. "That is nothing," she said. "I'm alive. I don't worry about it." The University of Kentucky Transplant Center has been providing transplantation services since 1964. Its surgeons perform more than 135 transplants each year. The faculty and staff of the Transplant Center specialize in the transplantation of all major solid organs, including the heart, lung, kidney, kidney/pancreas and liver. For more information, call 859-323-1691 or 1-866-285-4337.
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