European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday septembers 1966 the stars and stripes Page 9 health & science news officials explore kidney program writer Lan Stuhl Germany medical personnel Are trying to reactivate an Organ donation program at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center to give More people the Opportunity o donate their kidneys. Kidneys removed from family members and defense department personnel will be sent to Waller Reed army medical Center for trans planting. Renewed interest in the program follows the hos Pill s experience Over the past year when two americans died from burst blood vessels. Three other americans and one German got the Chance Olive Fuller lives with the kidneys of the iwo who died. We re trying 1o Sec thai we Don t Bury any kid Neys said or. Col Daniel Kimball jr., commander of inc lands Uhl Hospital. Two people arc on lands Uhl s waiting list for kidneys and 55 Are on inc Waller Reed waiting list he said. How extensive inc program will be has not yet been decided. There arc questions about available resources and personnel said or. Col John Parker surgical consultant for 7th medical come. Thai s just being very realistic. We have to bal Ance this Wilh our primary Mission patient car and military readiness Parker said. Parker said the 7th medical come is beginning the first phase of a donor program which will consist of educating personnel in Europe about inc possibility of donating organs. The command Hopes to have a donor card Avail Able soon. The card allows the signer to consent to the removal of his kidneys Afler he is declared brain dead. Uniform donor cards from the slates also Are acceptable As arc current stateside Driver s licenses that incorporate the card. A also May get his local Legal assistance officer to draw up similar document. If a person docs not have a card or signed document his family May give consent in writing. Seventh medical come policy requires the next of Kin to be in Europe to provide consent it May not be Gram de Over the Telephone. Medical personnel Are working on a proposal tothe . Amy Europe to allow people to designate their consent on their Usa eur Driver s License. They also Are working on medical training and technical issues Parker said. It s a big project and we should take it in Small Biles Parker said. Lan Stuhl. Which has inc military s Only kidney dialysis capability in Europe initially began an donation program in 1979. But the program became inactive after two year partly because of difficulties with preserving kidneys for travel and the length of time it look to transport them to the states. Kidneys must be transplanted within 48 hours of their removal although 24 hours is considered Best. Last september Lan Stuhl medical personnel assisted a German doctor in inc removal of the kidneys of the daughter of an air Force family. The operation look place at the Lan Stuhl Hospital. The kidneys were successfully transplanted into two people at Waller Reed. In july Lan Stuhl personnel assisted a German surgeon at inc Homburg Hospital in removing the kidneys of a military policeman from Wei Bruecken. One of those kidneys was sent Back to Walter Reed where it was Given to Ernestine Anderson wife of or. La. Col Robert Anderson commander of the Muench Wailer Germany army health clinic. The other kidney was transplanted Inlo a Manfrom Trier Germany at the City Hospital of kaisers Lau Lorn. Or. Maj Cheryl Wecsen a lands Uhl surgeon and sic Ronald Paar a dialysis technician participated in both kidney removal operations. Also or Mai John Norbeck recently joined inc Lan Stuhl staff after four years of experience in removing kid Neys at Brooke army medical Center fort Sam Houston Texas Parker said medical officials Are reviewing Creden tial procedures thai would allow the american Doc tors to handle a kidney removal on their own without help from German specialists. Medical officials expect thai most of the would be at Lan Stuhl because in has the Only military Scuro surgery capability in Europe. The idea donor would be someone declared brain dead after suffering head injuries in a motor Accident Kimbal said. Transplanting the kids Chi would not be done Allan Stuhl. The iwo people wailing for new kidneys at lands Tull Are undergoing dialysis treatment. Dialysis machines essentially function As artificial kidneys to clean their blood of waste products and chemical impurities said Sec Kurt Asmussen no in charge of inc lands Uhl dialysis unit. The average treatment for a chronic patient is four hour session three times a week. They never really feel Well. They Lack the Energy of life Asmussen said. When they get inc kidney it s so much better for of s a wonderful gift Organ recipient says by Udy Sarasohn Medica writer Mol Schweiler. Germany Ernestine Anderson s life no longer de pends on a kidney dialysis machine. She was freed seven weeks ago fro being hooked up to the Artif Kif kidney three limes a week when she received areal kidney from a military policeman who died. Pm certainly grateful she said Inan interview. It certainly changed my life. It s a wonderful gift that people can give when staff sgt. Thomas Harar caves died july 20 after a blood vessel Burstin his brain his wife agreed to donate his kidneys. Anderson who had the same blood Type As the Zweibruck Emp accompanied one kidney to the states for More tests and the operation. The other kidney was Given to a Ger Man Man. I be Lold my children they be got to sign up for the donor program Ander son said. What Good is it to them if you can give meaning Toby letting someone else they re dead ? if to someone s death live a better life. 1 have no qualms. They can have mine if they want Anderson 5j, Learned in octoberi9b3 that her kidneys were failing. She had been hospitalized with hypertension and blood tests indicated the kid Ney problem. Hypertension High blood pressure can damage kidneys. In february i9sj, Anderson had k begin dialysis treatment. In required her to a vol 35 minutes to the Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center Ihrck times a week for four hour sessions Wilh the dialysis machine. In limits your activities a great Deal because you Nave to plan around being in the area so you can get your treat ment. But you have no Choice Ander son said. The most we could go a Sirce Days. My purpose coming Over Here to Europe was to travel. Even though inc dialysis machine kept her alive by cleaning her blood of toxic wastes she never fell quite we. Kidney recipient Ernestine Anderson it never struck me How bad you feel until i had the transplant. It becomes away of life you have no Choice. It s either thai or die. Period Anderson said. You accept the Way you feel that s the Way it is. Think that s what struck me absolutely the most. When i had the transplant How much better you while she required treatment she did l have much Energy. She tired easily. Twenty four hours after the trans Plant surgery and Creon was walking Down the Waller Reed Hospital make you get up and you feel really Good she said she expressed some disappointment with her tired feeling since resuming Home. I thought i fell really Jazzy in the Hospital. The trip Home tires you out she said she returned Home two weeks ago from Washington s Walter Reed army medical Center where the transplant operation look place. Her husband. Or. La col Robert Anderson is com Mander of the army health clinic Al husband who worked in a dialysis program in the 1960s, was particularly supportive Anderson said. He accompanied her to Walter recognized that she was t easy on the people around her. But he care she said was excellent ii was very devastating. I m not a per son who likes other people having control Over me Anderson said. I resented i terribly. So one can imagine How i Felt with these dialysis technicians. "1 had a difficult time accepting what was happening 10 me she said. One lends to take in out on the most convenient if she had to have the disease she said she was thankful it happened to me in inc there s been no economic pressure. The can has been absolutely outstand ing. The technicians Are highly trained she Only Cost was $7.3d a Day during her hospitalization at Walter Reed an Derson said. Anderson has to take medication for the rest of her life to ensure that he body accepts the donated kidney. She also must return to Lan Stuhl for checkups. But otherwise the transplant opera lion does t limit her want to go to Rome Anderson said. I do want to make up for the travelling we weren t Able to
