What does it take to save a life? Not just any life. The life of your 12-year-old nephew.
Ask Monroe Community College student Kathryn Navarro of Fairport– because that’s what she has done. On July 12, Navarro donated a kidney to her sister’s son, David, who has had kidney disease since birth. Five months later, she’s still recovering from the laparoscopic surgery while studying for a degree in accounting and taking classes in lifesaving to coach swimming.When asked what it takes to undergo such a major life decision, Navarro recalls the reaction from her nephew when she told him she was a match. “I got to be the one to tell him on the phone,” she said. “He’s generally quiet. When I told him, he got so excited.”
Navarro underwent numerous medical exams and tests prior to the surgery to ensure she would not develop complications or that the transplant would not jeapordize her health.
To help say thank you to her sister and cover some of the expenses involved in donating the kidney, Diane Dawson of Brighton named Navarro and the National Kidney Foundation as recipients of a fundraiser conducted by MCC students.
Members of the student-run Campus Activities Board organized a distinctive fundraiser to help offset some of the costs related to the transplant, such as medication and health insurance copayments. Last spring, they launched a campaign to collect 3,000 sketches of faces hand drawn by MCC students, faculty and staff. The drawings were then compiled into a mosaic of the MCC Tribune (the college mascot), and prints of the mosaic were sold. The students raised $800.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness,” Dawson said Wednesday, Dec. 12, during a check presentation. “It’s just really awesome what my sister and everyone at MCC has done for us.
Called “MCC Faces a Cause: The Battle Against Kidney Disease,” the student campaign also raised awareness of the impact on an individual battling kidney disease and his/her family. Many people, for example, deal with weekly dialysis treatments and medications.
“He’s not out of the woods yet,” said his mom. It will take about six to nine months of careful observation before it is expected that his body will not reject the transplanted organ. The results of his most recent test came back positive.
Now, with his new kidney, David’s life is changing dramatically. In fact, the sports fanatic was just picked for the basketball team at his school.
PHOTO CAPTION:
CAB Coordinator Sean Frischmann (far right) handed over a $600 check Wednesday, Dec. 12, to student Kathryn Navarro (second from left) to help with medical costs she incurred after donating her kidney to her nephew, David (center). David, who has suffered from kidney disease since birth, is the son of Navarro’s sister, Diane Dawson (second from right), who works in Instructional Technologies. Assisting CAB in raising the funds was Thomas Christopher Priester, Campus Center program coordinator.
Dianne E McConkey
College and Community Relations
12/17/2007
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 david with priester_thomas, navarro_kathy, dawson_diane, frischmann_sean 1a.jpg
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