MARBLEHEAD — There have been signs posted around town, an online campaign, and a dire plea from a woman who desperately needed a kidney transplant. Now, she’s gotten that transplant.
Andrea Gleason left the hospital Thursday with two new kidneys, and a refound positive outlook on life.
“I can pee again,” Gleason said. “I can be normal.”
Gleason, 39, was a lifelong resident of Marblehead before going to college in Vermont and then moving to New York City to take a job in finance. The former triathlon runner was always extremely active until her aorta ruptured 10 years ago, leading to a multitude of health problems, including kidney disease and renal failure, and she’s spent years in and out of hospitals, and the last year looking for a new kidney.
Marblehead residents may have seen Gleason’s red signs staked around town, asking potential “live donors” — people willing to sacrifice some of their own health to donate Gleason their kidney — to visit www.mghlivingdonors.org to start the donation process. Gleason also posted on Marblehead Facebook pages looking for a donor, and Marblehead’s Warwick Theater put up messages about Gleason on its marquee.
But, ultimately, it wasn’t her own campaign that led to Gleason receiving a transplant. Gleason got the call from her doctor two weeks ago that a different donor had been found.
“I was just getting ready to go home, to Marblehead, for July and I got that call,” Gleason said. “My doctor called at 11:30 p.m. at night, and told me. The next day, I went in.”
Because of her slight frame, Gleason was able to accept not one, but two new kidneys from a recently deceased infant — two new kidneys was considered optimal given Gleason’s health condition, but she previously did not think it would be possible because she was looking for a live donor.
Gleason said she paused for a moment when her doctor first called with the news, because a Marblehead resident was in the final stages of gaining approval to be a live donor. But she quickly realized there was no point in waiting, and told the doctor, “Yes,” before hanging up the phone.
While the kidneys do not come from a live donor like Gleason was originally looking for, she said her doctors have assured her the kidneys will grow with time. Leading up to the transplants, Gleason said her life was one of constant pain. She suffered from chronic fatigue, almost no appetite, stress, a foggy “kidney brain” state, and a multitude of other health issues.
Gleason has a completely synthetic aorta, and the recent transplant is her fifth major surgery since 10 years ago, when her aorta ruptured on an otherwise “normal” day — she believes the rupture was due to congenital factors, given the prevalence of heart problems in her family.
Because of the amount of medication she is currently taking — 33 pills a day, including pain medication and anti-rejection medication — Gleason said it is hard to tell if she “feels any better” yet. After all, it’s only been two weeks since she got her new kidneys.
However, Gleason said she is filled with optimism following the procedure.
“I feel like I can lead a certain life I want to lead, and I can’t wait,” Gleason said.
Gleason said the donor, even though they are now deceased, will always be kept anonymous, and she has no idea where her new kidneys came from.
For now, Gleason has to stay in New York City for frequent checkups with her doctor, but as soon as she can, she will return to Marblehead.
“I can’t wait to come home,” Gleason said.
More than 10 people from Marblehead — several of whom she does not know — initiated the process of becoming a live donor, Gleason said. And even though they did not ultimately become her donors, she is eternally grateful for the support shown by residents of her hometown.
