The kindness of a stranger

One Warwick woman gets a new lease on life in first three-way kidney swap in Columbia’s history, By Linda Smith Hancharick Warwick — Hope and courage. Helen Taranto represents hope. She had to have hope. Fighting Lupus for 30 years, Taranto, 56, ran into a brick wall in December when her kidneys started to fail. She began dialysis but her best chance at a normal life was to get a kidney transplant. More times than not, the donor is a family member or a deceased donor. With 60,000 people on a donation waiting list, it could take up to seven years to get to the top of the list. Her husband, Ron, volunteered to be her donor. He is healthy and although they had a tissue match, the two had different blood types. In order for Ron to donate to his wife, they would have to undergo a tedious and sometimes long process to make the blood types compatible. So they began the process and waited. John McGuinness represents courage. McGuinness, 39, is from East Rockaway on Long Island. He has given to others throughout his life. He is a two-gallon blood donor and has donated bone marrow. McGuinness, who is a volunteer fire fighter, traveled to New Orleans to help after Hurricane Katrina. Even as a young man, McGuinness put others first. His dad died when McGuinness was a senior in high school. An accountant by trade, McGuinness completed his undergraduate degree at Purdue University in two and a half years so he could come home and help his family. But he wanted to do more. Sept. 11, 2001, had a big impact on McGuinness. He saw that people sacrificed of themselves selflessly to help others. So, in honor of those who died on that day, last November McGuiness decided to look into the Living Donor Program at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He had to pass a battery of medical and psychological tests in order to donate one of his kidneys and he did so with flying colors. Every day Helen Taranto went to Mass at St. Stephen’s Church. She was a fixture at the 9 o’clock. She looked up at the cross every morning and asked God to help her find a donor. She prayed that someone would be found that matched her. She wanted her life back. Being on dialysis is not an easy walk. Three times a week she traveled down near the Palisade’s and sat for six hours having her blood cleaned. In all, the trip took nearly nine hours. Taranto was diagnosed with Lupus in 1970 at a time when many people had never heard of it. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. The body’s immune system normally makes antibodies to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials. With an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself. These antibodies, called “auto-antibodies,” react with the antigens to form immune complexes. The immune complexes build up in the tissues and can cause inflammation, injury to tissues, and pain. But Taranto always had hope. Her faith and her family are what carried her through. Father Patrick Buckley came to see her every week. She said he was always positive and helped to keep her faith going. Taranto lives down the road from the Amity Presbyterian Church. The people there, too, were just amazing to her and her family, which includes her daughter Jennifer. Hope and courage finally came together. Helen was at the top of the Columbia transplant list by April. After all of his testing had been done, it was determined that McGuiness and Taranto were a perfect match, both in their tissue and their blood type. “The match was so strong,” said McGuinness. “I had hoped and prayed that I would be called on.” But there was a catch. In order for Taranto to receive McGuinness’s kidney, one of her family members would have to donate theirs to another donor. It’s called a swap. Ron Taranto didn’t hesitate. He had gone through all of the testing and was healthy enough to donate. There was a woman, aged 54, who was a match for him. Again, in order for her to receive his kidney, someone from her family had to swap. Her brother-in-law from Virginia volunteered and was a match for a 47-year-old man here in New York. So, the players were set. On May 30, six surgical teams were configured to do the first ever three-way kidney swap in New York, and only the second in the Untied States. Six surgeons and 40 nurses were at the ready in the six operating rooms. When the six-hour surgery was done, all six patients each had one healthy kidney and were doing well. Recovery time is not nearly as long as it used to be. Now, the surgery is done laparoscopically for the donors. “I had four little incisions,” said McGuinness. “It wasn’t bad at all. You have a three to four week recovery.” Ron Taranto was back at work within two weeks. McGuinness made history at the hospital. He became the first altruistic donor in the hospital’s 40-year history of doing transplants. The patients all met briefly after the operations. Policy is that no one meets before the surgeries. What do you say to the person who gives you your life back? Taranto and McGuinness contacted each other when they had both recovered somewhat and decided they wanted to get to know each other. Taranto wanted to give him something; after all, he had given her so much. She was shopping in the Village of Warwick and went into Victorian Treasures. There she found a little book called “Hope and Courage.” It was perfect. Last weekend, McGuinness made the trip from Long Island to meet the Tarantos and spend time with them. Both Taranto and McGuinness are devout Catholics. They went to church together on Sunday at St. Stephen’s. “It was just incredible to sit next to him in church,” said Taranto. “Here I was every day praying that God would send me my donor. And now, here I was sitting right next to him.” And when the folk band played “Amazing Grace,” Taranto said it had special meaning for her that day. And it turns out it is McGuinness’s favorite hymn. McGuinness said he was honored to donate to Taranto. “I have been very fortunate with my health, my career, and my family,” said the single McGuinness. “For me, it was giving back. My faith had a lot to do with my decision.” And Taranto couldn’t be happier. She says she feels good and will be back riding her horses in about a week. She currently takes about 30 pills every day to fight off any infection and to prevent rejection of the kidney. But that’s a small price to pay for what she has. “I am just so grateful for John,” she said. “He didn’t just save my life. He saved three lives. That takes courage. If it weren’t for him, walking into that hospital and offering his kidney to a stranger, this never would have happened.” Today, Taranto continues to wear a rubber bracelet on her wrist, one that she has worn for months. It simply says “Hope.”