New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
‘Everywhere I go, you go with me’
Danbury family shares kidney transplant story as part of drive to recruit donors
DANBURY — Richard Kovacs was told he couldn’t donate his kidney to his daughter because he had diabetes, but he insisted on doing so anyway.
It’s been 25 years since Kovacs, a deacon at Sacred Heart Church in Danbury, became one of the first people with diabetes to be accepted as a kidney donor at Yale New Haven Hospital. The transplant saved the life of his daughter, Kimberly Sarnelli.
Now, the family is teaming up with Yale New Haven Hospital doctors to encourage people to donate their organs. An event will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 19 at Sacred Heart Church on Cottage Street with two guest speakers from the hospital.
“When I was asked to donate a kidney, I did not hesitate,“said Kovacs, 79. “It was for my daughter, who wouldn’t do that for their daughter? I said to myself I am going to give her the gift of life. That is what any live organ donor ultimately does, they give life to someone else.”
At the event, Dr. Richard Formica, medical director of the kidney program at Yale New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Danielle Haakinson, a transplant surgeon and director of the living donor program, will discuss the importance of being a living donor and the process of being a donor.
Seating is limited to 60, with 45 reserved as of Thursday. Attendees are asked to bring a bag of kidney beans that will be donated to a food pantry.
“This event is going to be a great day of celebration for my husband, my daughter and promoting live organ donor awareness,“said Carol Kovacs, his wife. “There were a lot of ups and downs at the time of the transplant, but today my daughter is doing great.”
Their daughter was 30 when she had the transplant.
“At the time, in 1998, the doctors’ prognosis was that with the kidney I gave her she could live another 8-10 years and here we are 25 years later,” Richard Kovacs said. “Needless to say I am thrilled.”
Sarnelli, who resides in New Fairfield, said she is feeling great and is enjoying life.
“My dad definitely saved my life, saved me from a life on dialysis,” she said. “Dialysis was very draining with bad headaches. What he did was a selfless act and he had to make a lot of changes in his life to do it, including losing weight.”
Richard Kovacs said the purpose of the event, with two experienced doctors who are experts in their field, is to educate people about being a live organ donor.
“The thing is, my big focus today is we need live donors and we need them bad,” he said. “People get scared, concerned and worried when you talk about being a live organ donor. That’s because they don’t understand the process and how the procedure has been perfected.”
Transplant
In 1992, Sarnelli was diagnosed with Berger disease, which causes deterioration of kidney function over time. She became pregnant as her kidney function started deteriorating. Due to complications, her son, Robert, was born eight weeks early, on April 16, 1997, and weighed only 3 pounds. He survived but Sarnelli’s kidney function worsened.
She ended up needing kidney dialysis three days a week, six hours each day for seven months prior to the transplant operation. By early 1998, a transplant was her only option. Her mother and brother Alan were rejected as donors due to medical reasons. Richard Kovacs was also rejected because he was borderline diabetic. With his daughter’s situation critical, and a potential three- to four-year wait for a donated kidney, he decided to donate his kidney anyway.
After a four-hour operation on Feb. 26, 1998, Sarnelli had her kidney.
“She got the best kidney ever because it came from her father,“Richard Kovacs said. “After the operation she told me, now everywhere I go, you go with me.”
Sarnelli remains grateful.
“The transplant transformed my life and improved my quality of life,” she said. “I was able to take care of my son who is doing well and will be taking a test to be a firefighter. I am looking forward to the live donor awareness event because I know firsthand how important it is for others who need a transplant.”
Since the operation, to alleviate fears of being a live organ donor, Richard Kovacs said he has gone back to Yale New Haven Hospital many times to meet with families going through the same transplant situation for a family member.
For more live organ donor and transplant information at Yale New Haven Hospital go to https:// www.ynhh.org/services/ transplantation/kidneytransplant.