Evonne Hiatt is ready to give a special gift of life

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In 2002, Hiatt went to work for Metropolitan Contracting Company working again as a project administrator. Two years later, Hiatt experienced something that would impact her life and the life of a person that she had yet to meet.

In 2004, Hiatt’s son, only in his mid-20s at the time, was diagnosed with cancer. She took an eight-month leave to care for him.

Hiatt said, “He was pretty sick, but there was nothing I could do for him. I thought if I could do something for him to make his pain go away and to help him through that, I would have done it.”

Fortunately,     her son is fine now. She said he is recuperating and is in remission. He will be 30 on his next birthday.

Hiatt returned to work at Metropolitan Contracting in 2005, and has been employed with them now for seven years.

One day last year Hiatt commented that she was watching the Dr. Oz television show. The topic of the episode was on kidney swaps.

She said, “They had the eight people that had donated kidneys and the eight recipients on the show. They were talking about how it had saved lives. I just thought – I’ve got so many blessings that I could do that to help somebody else who isn’t quite as lucky as I am.”

For most people, that would just be an interesting television story that might be discussed at the dinner table.

In Hiatt’s case, she did something extremely incredible. She decided she wanted to donate one of her own kidneys to a complete stranger.

“I got to thinking about all the parents of family members who are sick with kidney disease. They are watching their kids saying, if I could only do something for them to help them. I thought, well, I could do something.”

So, she did. “I called up Methodist Transplant Hospital and talked to them, asked what I needed to do, and here we are.”

Hiatt added, “I am donating a kidney. What it is called is an altruistic donor which means I don’t have a family member or anybody that’s receiving a kidney in return.”

She said there would be 17 people donating and receiving kidneys in the next two or three days – supposedly the largest coordinated transplant in the United States. It is taking place at Methodist Transplant and Specialty Hospital in San Antonio Nov. 10-13.

“I was told that I am the only one that doesn’t have a family member receiving a kidney in return,” Hiatt noted.

Asked about the cost of the procedure, she said, “They cover all medical expenses. Whoever is getting my kidney, their insurance company will pay for all my medical expenses.”

Besides donating her kidney, she is donating her recuperation time, too. She saved up her vacation and sick leave to cover the time off. She explained to her employer what she was going to do and worked it out with them.

Asked what her family thought of the donation, she replied, “They were skeptical at first, and they worried that if something happens to my daughter or my son, and they need a kidney later on, what happens? I told them we couldn’t live our lives playing the what-if game. If something happens, I was told that once I’ve donated a kidney they would be put on a higher priority because of that.”

Hiatt hopes that one day she will be able to meet the recipient of her kidney.

“I have asked if I would be able to meet the recipient. If the recipient is okay with that, then they will set up where we can all meet.“

Given the extraordinary action she is taking, Hiatt was asked what message she would like to convey to others.

She responded, “I would just like everybody to consider doing something like this. Think about how it would affect other people. If you’re healthy, and have a lot of blessings, why not give back – pay it forward and give to somebody else that isn’t as lucky as you are.”

Besides the lucky recipient of Hiatt’s kidney, Hiatt is fortunate too. Her son is traveling from Michigan to care for her and her daughter that lives in San Antonio will be there for her mom, too.  –dn

©2010 Construction News, Ltd.