Salvation Army Employees Doing Well After Kidney Transplant Surgery
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It was a big day for two Salvation Army employees. Kate Esker and Mike Riemer both underwent surgery at Allegheny General Hospital on Tuesday, and are recovering well. Esker donated a kidney to Riemer.
The families gathered and prayed before the surgeries.
"I'm just ready," says Esker. "I still have the peace I had… It took a long while to prepare for this. Not as long as Michael, but I'm ready."
"What I have in my heart today is how blessed I am. I really feel good about this going well. My body is definitely ready for it," says Riemer.
Riemer is 55-years-old. He has known for more than 30 years that his kidneys were failing. He was diagnosed with a condition called polycystic kidney disease, or PKD. The condition runs in his family. His mother, grandmother and great-grandmother all died from PKD.
Two weeks ago, Reimer's kidneys shut down. But after reaching out to the public for help, volunteers came forward. Seventeen people were tested; Esker was a match.
"I'm very nervous for her, but I am in full support of what she is doing. It's such a good cause," says Esker's husband, John.
As the hours went by and the time for surgery came, there were more prayers.
"We are grateful, so grateful," says Katie, Reimer's wife.
"It's mostly a good feeling," says Reimer's daughter, Rebecca. "I was nervous for a while. Now it has all come together."
Doctors from the transplant team briefed the patients. Experts say the surgery can be life-changing, especially when a living donor is involved.
"Living donor kidney transplants… work the best and they work the longest," says Dr. Peter Abrams, a kidney transplant surgeon at Allegheny General Hospital. "This kidney should last him the rest of his life."
The surgery went well. Doctors say Esker's procedure could not have gone better and that her kidney was perfect.
As for Reimer, his wife says his new kidney is functioning as it should, and he is recovering well.
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