Smiles From ‘a Happy Kidney’
They did not know exactly what to do when the moment arrived.
How do you thank a stranger who has given you her kidney simply because she could? What do you say to the man walking around with part of you inside him?
“Nice to meet you” seemed so boring for a journey that began more than a year ago when Terry Rose, 47, of Newport Beach decided to donate a kidney, picked up the Yellow Pages and set about her mission.
Three months after her surgery and a few days after learning the name of the stranger who received her altruistic gift, Rose met Minh Dinh, 28, Tuesday night in an encounter that seemed more like a surprise party.
Hospital staff at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange were determined to make the meeting genuine--no bumping into each other in the hallway. They posted security guards outside entrances to keep away television crews and kept Rose in the “green room.”
As the minutes ticked past the designated 6:30 p.m. meeting time, and the lights flickered as the hospital switched to generator power, doctors anxiously wondered if Dinh had forgotten.
Not a chance.
Dinh, who lives in Westminster, arrived moments later with a bouquet of red roses and a huge grin. Rose greeted him with a hug and a flurry of inquiries about his health as they nervously looked each other over.
Then he unwrapped a tranh son mai, a Vietnamese wall hanging with mother of pearl, seashells and turtle shell fashioned into a sunset scene with peacocks. Dinh had had the artwork, which symbolizes good luck and a happy family life, shipped from Saigon.
“This gift is not as special as the one you’ve given to me,” he said.
Rose marveled at the artwork, saying she was overwhelmed by his generosity because she did not expect anything in return.
The surgeon who performed the transplant, Dr. Garo Tertzakian, and other hospital staff whispered at the wonder of it--that she would be thanking him.
“This is what it’s all about,” Tertzakian said.
Rose’s donation to a stranger was considered nothing short of extraordinary. Last year, there were about 30 anonymous donations nationwide, and many doctors say they expect the numbers to continue to rise.
And Rose can take some of the credit.
Her generosity and the transplant have received attention around the world. The hospital has received numerous calls from people interested in becoming donors, said Dr. David Imagawa, chief of the hospital’s transplantation program.
Medical breakthroughs have made surgery easier on the donor. Rose, for example, stayed at the hospital only a couple days. She returned to work as a senior office assistant for Santa Ana in two weeks and went skiing a month later.
Rose has said that if her gesture makes even one person donate a pint of blood, her decision was worthwhile. And for Dinh, who waited four years for a kidney after his own failed, said now his life feels like it’s just starting.
His fiancee, Jocelyn Nguyen, listened to Rose’s loud, exuberant laugh and her steady stream of one-liners. It explains, she said, why Dinh is happy and energetic now: “He got a happy kidney.”
Rose chuckled at the notion, quizzing Dinh about the other things he might have inadvertently picked up.
“Well, he doesn’t have my appreciation for tacos,” Rose said, “but he laughs a lot and that’s more important.”
