Leon Szewcyk, 73, lives in North Caldwell, N.J. He is about to get his fourth organ transplant. This time, his daughter Jennifer is the donor. She is a perfect match for his kidney.
Leon has lived a long life despite many health problems. He is one of the longest-living heart transplant patients in N.J. He has had three transplants. The first was a heart in the 1980s. Twenty years later, he needed both a heart and a kidney.
Now, Leon’s kidney is failing. Doctors told him he might not survive five more years on the kidney transplant waiting list. But in December, his daughter Jennifer, 46, was told she was a match. It was great news for the family.
Jennifer steps up to help father with her kidney
When Jennifer found out, she was happy. She said, “The hospital called me and told me I was a match. I was excited.”
In the U.S., over 92,000 people are waiting for a kidney. Many things affect how doctors match a donor with a patient. These include age, blood type, body size, and the urgency of the patient’s condition in N.J.
For Leon, having his daughter donate a kidney was a blessing. He said, “Once she decided, I was so happy. It wasn’t luck, it was God that did it.”
A long journey to get there
Leon and Jennifer’s family has a long history in real estate in N.J. But Leon’s medical problems started when he was 31. In 1983, he needed a heart transplant. At the time, his wife Michele thought he just had a chest cold.
Michele said, “I brought him to the hospital. I thought it was just a cold. I had no idea.”
Doctors told Leon he would die. He thought about going to California for better treatment. But after having two heart attacks, he stayed close to home. That’s when the transplant team at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York helped him.
While Leon was in the hospital, his daughters made signs that said, “Hurry home Daddy.”
More health problems lead to a second heart and kidney transplant
Years later, Leon’s health worsened. The medications for his first transplant caused problems with his kidney. He needed both a new heart and a kidney. His wife Michele said, “It was tough. He almost died. He had just a few days left to live.”
Now, in June, Leon will mark 42 years since his first heart transplant. He is one of the longest-living heart transplant patients in the country.
This spring, Leon and Jennifer will go through the kidney transplant surgery in N.J. The surgery will take over four hours. They are looking forward to it and hope to “go back to normal” after the surgery.
Michele, Leon’s wife, is proud of Jennifer. She said, “Donating an organ is a big sacrifice. But I am so grateful that Jennifer is helping her father. Giving someone a chance at life is priceless.”
