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Gratitude and Goodwill Continue for Baris Father and SonWho Make a Donation to The Renal Transplant Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Livingston, N.J. -- When Ken Baris, of West Orange, was just 5 years old, he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up.“I want to be a realtor,” he would say to surprised adults who expected the more common answer of a firefighter or policeman. Although he did not yet know what a realtor did for a living, it didn’t matter. He had set his sights on following in his father, Jordan Baris’ footsteps. Mr. Baris is owner of the well-known real estate agency, Jordan Baris, Inc. Realtors. The very same determination and dedication to his father that led Ken Baris to make a commitment to pursue a real estate career at age 5, also led him to donate a kidney to his father 30 years later on December 9, 1998.Today, the Barises are giving back to the caregivers that changed Jordan Baris’ life by making a financial contribution to the Saint Barnabas Renal Transplant Center and by communicating a message to the community about the importance of organ donation.“ Not only are we grateful for the care we received at Saint Barnabas,” explains Ken Baris, “but we recognize that there is a vast need for donated organs. We’d like to help Saint Barnabas promote organ donation – both living donation and donation after somebody dies. I had the tremendous satisfaction of donating a kidney to my father, and as opportunities arise for me to share my story with others who may be in a position to donate to a loved one, I am behind them all the way. I also think that a grieving family who has lost a loved one has the potential to do a wonderful thing by donating that individual’s organs, because someone’s spirit will live on in an even nicer way if part of them can be donated to help extend someone else’s life.” Because chronic renal disease accounts for the vast majority of those on the waiting list, kidney transplants are the most common form of transplantation in the country. According to the United Network of Organ Sharing, in the United States, 50,790 patients are on a waiting list for kidney transplants, and more than 2,100 of them are from New Jersey. To stay alive, patients must either rely on dialysis or undergo transplantation. In Jordan Baris’ case, he utilized peritoneal dialysis, which can be performed at home. Jordan Baris’ renal failure came upon him gradually over the course of a year. Committed to his business and a hard worker by nature, he accepted the peritoneal dialysis as a way of life and chose to perform it at night so that he could continue to work and go about his usual routine. Fortunately for him, he was just on dialysis for three months because, unbeknownst to him, his children had other plans for him. Ken’s brother, Russell, and his wife, Dr. Marjie Golden, of Connecticut, knew transplantation would provide a normal life for Jordan Baris. And if someone was going to donate, Ken wanted it to be him. “Of course, I said no,” recalls Mr. Baris of his son’s offer. But both father and son remember this as being one of their most important, but shortest discussions ever. “And I said, ‘I can’t live with myself if I don’t do it,’” said Ken. A close-knit family, Jordan and Marjorie Baris and their grown children went to Disney World together just before the transplant. Even their daughter, Joan Terry, flew in from California to celebrate with everyone. Following transplantation, Ken was back at work in a month, and his father Jordan, who recuperated with his wife at his side, was at work three months later. Shortly thereafter, Ken became engaged to his girlfriend, Ariane, who stuck by him and his family throughout the transplant process. They married the following year. Father and son are now playing tennis together – still enjoying family vacations and all of their other usual activities. In fact, according to the Barises, things couldn’t be better. Jordan Baris, Inc. and its staff of 90 are celebrating the agency’s 50th anniversary this year and both Jordan and Ken feel great. When they decided to make a donation to the Saint Barnabas’ Renal Transplant Center, Russell Baris made a matching donation. Funds will be used during National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week and at other times of the year to increase kidney donations. The Renal Transplant Centers of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, with Centers at Saint Barnabas and Newark Beth Israel Medical Centers perform more than 200 kidney transplants a year and are committed to bringing the latest technology, immunosuppressive drugs, and pancreas transplant services to New Jersey patients. “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Because this has been such a gratifying experience for me,” reports Ken Baris, “I want others to know the rewards are just amazing.” For more information or to register as an organ donor, individuals should call The Sharing Network at 1-800-SHARE-NJ or visit www.sharenj.org. For information on living kidney transplantation, please call 1-888-409-4707 or visit www.saintbarnabas.com.
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On December 9, 1998, Ken Baris, of West Orange, donated a kidney to his father, Jordan Baris, owner of the well-known real estate agency, Jordan Baris, Inc. Realtors. Recently, the father and son made a financial contribution to the Renal Transplant Center of Saint Barnabas Medical Center to encourage organ donation. Shown during their recent visit to the Renal Transplant Center are, from left, Shamkant Mulgaonkar, M.D., Chief of Renal Transplantation for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System; Ken Baris; Jordan Baris; and Stuart Geffner, M.D., Director of Transplant Surgery for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System
