Livingston, N.J. -- Although he always maintained a positive attitude, Tom Rogers had a life of imposed limits before his Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney (SPK) Transplant at Saint Barnabas Medical Center six years ago. Tom, of Bayonne, N.J., suffered from Type 1 diabetes from infancy and later developed hypertension in his teens. He could not attend college because of the extreme exhaustion resulting from weekly dialysis treatments. When physicians told him they finally had a kidney and pancreas available for him, Tom’s father drove him to the Saint Barnabas Renal Transplant Centers and the surgery was performed the next day.
“I remember waking up from the surgery and they told me that the kidney worked right away,” Tom recalls. “That doesn’t always happen. It was a really nice feeling and all the nurses and doctors were smiling and positive.”
After the transplant, Tom felt like a new person and was able to attend the nursing program at Essex County College. Strong for the first time, he worked hard in school and “took advantage of my new good health.” Although he has never spoken with the family of the person whose organs he received, Tom hopes to someday convey to them the importance of this gift of health and life.
“I wanted to wait until I accomplished something in my life so I could reach out to the family and say that because of their sacrifice, I was able to do this,” he relates.
Tom achieved a major accomplishment this May 2005 when he graduated from nursing school and, in addition to being chosen as president of his graduating class, he was also chosen as the first recipient of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Nursing Student Pioneer Award. Tom was one of five recipients from area nursing programs to receive the award, and the honor had no relation to his transplant. The Pioneer Award was given at his graduation ceremony, which was attended by a representative of the Nursing Recruitment and Patient Care Services Department at Saint Barnabas Health Care System.
Dr. Dorsky describes how he approaches the spine through an incision in the abdomen, while carefully avoiding any delicate organs. He then uses special tools to remove the damaged disc and creates a space between two vertebrae for the implantation of the artificial disc. The procedure generally takes one to two hours and, in rare cases, may require a transfusion. Disc patients generally return to work in a short period of time compared to spinal fusion patients who are frequently not able to go back to work for six months or more.
The Nursing Student Pioneer Award recognizes those who have demonstrated the vision and skills in enhancing the future of nursing. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and are nominated by their educational institutions.
“Tom and the other Pioneer Award recipients possess the compassion and the dedication that is the highest standard of nursing care,” says Nancy E. Holecek, R.N., Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. “As New Jersey’s healthcare leader, we applaud their vision and skill in enhancing the future of nursing.”
In addition to receiving an engraved statue, recipients were also given a $250 gift check from the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.
Tom, who was “stunned and very pleased” by the award, says that he entered the field of nursing because he loves to work with patients. He is about to take the state nursing boards and says he would be pleased to work for Saint Barnabas, where he has many positive memories of his own physicians, nurses and social workers.
He is grateful to his medical team and to the organ donor and his/her family for all of his future accomplishments.
“I am absolutely thankful,” Tom relates. “It is one of those events where everything breaks down into life before the transplant and life after. I’m a different person now.”
The entire team of the Saint Barnabas Renal Transplant Centers was proud to hear about Tom’s recent honor. Marcia Krupit, LCSW, MSW, a social worker for the Transplant Centers, says Tom is “so appreciative of how his transplant has provided great opportunity for him,” adding that he has already made a difference in the lives of many people.
“There is no greater satisfaction than to witness such success and return to normal life,” says Shamkant Mulgaonkar, M.D., Chief, Transplant Division, Saint Barnabas Health Care System. “The transplant team strives to accomplish this goal in each and every person who undergoes transplantation. We are all extremely proud of his hard work and dedication.”
For information about the Saint Barnabas Renal Transplant Centers, please call 1-888-409-4707.
Date: June 20, 2005
press contact: Public Relations, (973) 322-9901
[ top ] |
|
|
