An inside look at the challenges in the organ donation process

ANSONIA, Conn. (WFSB) – Ahead of National Donate Life Month, Eyewitness News takes an inside look at the challenges in the organ donation process.

You’ve probably heard about how people in need of donations face long waits and painful treatments as they struggle to survive.

But there are challenges for donors, too.

“Well, I’ve been on dialysis for six years,” Kevin Eaton said. “I’ll be there Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

The final stages of kidney failure took a toll on Eaton.

“I can’t stand for long periods of time,” Eaton said. “Sometimes my balance is so bad that I can’t walk.”

Not just physically.

“I don’t get to go on vacation that often,” Eaton said. “You can go for the weekend, but you have to come back because I’m going on Monday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I can’t work either.”

An Ansonia man is one of hundreds of Connecticut patients in need of a kidney.

But to say he’s just waiting would be to ignore Sweatshirt, who makes a difficult request for the gift of life.

“It’s a sweatshirt that I wear almost every day,” Eaton said. “A lot of people don’t know much about giving, and they don’t know much about giving.”

You might think that this difficulty only exists for people who are undergoing a kidney transplant.

But at the end of the day, there are also some obstacles for people to choose to donate.

In her Wethersfield living room, Tricia Boudreau was inspired last year when she saw a Channel 3 article about a woman in need of a kidney.

“We’re sitting on the porch swing that my mom bought us years ago,” Boudreau said. “After she passed away in 2021, she took it home as a memory of her. She wanted to help this woman.”

So began medical exams, blood vials and lung function tests to see if Boudreau was suitable for donation.

But within a few months, the woman learned that the intended recipient’s health had deteriorated and he was no longer well enough to receive a kidney, so he was removed from the list.

“I felt really sad for her knowing this wasn’t going to happen,” Boudreau said.

“Something can happen to your health, and something can happen to your support system,” said Dr. Glyn Morgan.

Morgan is chief of transplant surgery at Hartford HealthCare.

He said the hospital system is pushing for a nationwide exchange and voucher program because recipients may be removed from the list.

There, donor organs are checked against a national list.

“There might be someone in Oklahoma that’s a better fit for you, there might be someone in South Carolina that’s a better fit for you,” Morgan said.

Hospitals use the same national list to find kidneys for originally intended recipients.

“There may not be donors anywhere near Hartford, California or Washington,” Morgan said.

Boudreau hopes to help two patients at once next month.

“I’m scheduled to have surgery, but I’m just waiting for the date to be confirmed,” Boudreau said. “I could save a life, and that’s a powerful gift. And why should I waste it?”

Boudreau may not know the exact person who will receive her kidney, but Eaton can attest to what a gift it really is.

“You’ll get back to a normal life, a painless, functional life,” Eaton said.

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