AT 5:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 23 Darcy Farrell Schiller, 32, and Shari Lynn Farrell, 38, daughters of Don A. Farrell, were admitted to St. David’s North Austin Medical Center for kidney transplant surgery, a media release said.
At 7 a.m. Urologist Stephen Hardeman began removing Darcy’s left kidney utilizing a technique called laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy.
One hour into that three and one half-hour procedure, the director of the NAMC renal transplantation program and a United Network for Organ Sharing-certified transplant surgeon, nephrologist and urologist Richard Lewis began the three-hour process of implanting the living kidney into sister Shari Lynn.
By 11 a.m. Hardeman reported to the waiting family, including Darcy’s mother Diane Caligiuri, that she was doing well in recovery and that the kidney was functioning perfectly when he removed it from Darcy.
Lewis stated, “The kidney was still functioning in my hands as I carried it from Darcy’s operating room to Shari’s.
At about 12:30 noon, Lewis advised the family, including Shari’s mother Ann Baker, that the transplant was complete and that the kidney was functioning properly.
Amazing both doctors and sisters alike, Shari’s blood creatinine level had fallen from a highly abnormal 12 on Monday before the surgery to 1.1 on Thursday, precisely the same normal level as her sister Darcy. Blood creatinine is a primary indicator of renal function.
Shari was released from the hospital on Friday, Jan. 26 and Darcy the next day.
Both sisters are now at their respective homes recovering from the surgery.
Prospects for both girls are excellent.
According to the Mayo Clinic, 97 percent of living donor recipients are alive one year after surgery and 87 percent after five years, far better than cadaveric donor transplants.
Shari Farrell, who began peritoneal dialysis for end stage renal disease in Sept. 2004 at the Commonwealth Health Center, can now look forward to leading a normal life, free from dialysis.
Darcy, a star swimmer for Manukai Swim Team, a graduate of Academy of Our Lady of Guam Class of 1992 and the University of Hawaii Class of 1998, will return to her position as special education teacher at Summit Christian Academy in Cedar Park, Texas, a suburb of Austin.
Shari is looking forward to seeking employment in the immediate area where she can remain close to her sister and take advantage of her talents as a Webmaster.