Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Sep 21/05) - On the surface, the decision to donate a kidney to save the life of his sister was an easy one for Stan Anderson of Rankin Inlet to make.

Stan Anderson of Rankin Inlet answered the call when his older sister required a kidney transplant this past summer.

Debbie Bruinsma of Cochrane, Alberta, is the second of Anderson's five older sisters.

She suffered kidney failure about 21 months ago.

By the fall of 2004, her life hung by a thread with one kidney dead and the other functioning at five per cent.

She was put on dialysis and a waiting list for a transplant.

When Anderson found out about his sister's peril, he started researching her condition and the results were not encouraging.

According to the Canadian Kidney Foundation, 3,000 Canadians are waiting for a transplant.

And 150 of those will die waiting every year.

When testing began on family members for a suitable donor, Anderson won the genetic lottery.

He was the only sibling to share the same blood type and compatible tissue.

Once Anderson decided to donate, the problem of logistics began.

Testing took place at Calgary's Foot Hills Hospital this past January, while staff at the Rankin Inlet Health Centre helped out with what testing and cross-matching they could.

Anderson was confirmed suitable and surgery was scheduled for June 7.

The surgery was a success, and now every day that goes by without complications is a good day for the Anderson family.

"It's been almost four months now and her body hasn't rejected the new kidney," said Anderson.

"Her blood counts are back down to normal.

"She had to go in every day for blood tests after the transplant, but that's down to three visits a week now.

"If everything keeps going fine, she'll only have to be tested every six months."

Odds in her favour

The odds are now in Bruinsma's favour.

Between 85 and 95 per cent of kidney transplants from living donors are successful.

On average, a kidney from a living donor will last 15 to 20 years.

Bruinsma was 47 at the time of the transplant.

Anderson is back to work as the CIBC's branch manager in Rankin.

The bank afforded him as much time as he needed to recuperate from the surgery.

With one kidney, his blood pressure and cholesterol will go up, so he has to watch his diet and exercise regularly.

Looking back to the months leading up to the surgery, Anderson said a great many people helped him cope with the situation.

Team of professionals

Once he began the testing, a team of professionals was assigned to his case.

"You're assigned a caseworker who's not allowed to talk to the recipient.

"My advocate was Teresa Trottman, who was very good at explaining what to expect both before and after the procedure. "I also had to go through phycological testing to ensure I was a suitable candidate, because not everyone is.

"Luckily for my sister and I, I managed to sneak past the phycological testing."

Solid support

Anderson said his family supported his decision from day one.

His parents helped financially so his wife could be there for the surgery, and they took care of the couple's two youngest children.

Back in Rankin, Lorne and Sally Kusugak took their third child and Kerry and Simon Angidlik the fourth.

Anderson said once you decide to donate, you drag a lot of other people with you.

"My decision affected my employer, co-workers, wife, children, parents and friends in the community.

"You need the support of everyone around you when you make this decision."

A different person

Anderson and his sister talk about once a month and a special bond has developed between them.

Bruinsma has become a completely different person since the procedure.

"Dialysis is no fun and Debbie was getting quite down about things.

"She'd go to Calgary for treatment and the next day she'd be too tired to do much of anything.

"The following day she'd have to get up and do it all over again, and that was, basically, her life at the time.

"Dialysis keeps people alive, but it's quite painful to go through.

"Since the transplant, she's back to work part time and is slowly taking control of her life once again."