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Two Church Members Thankful for Organ Transplants

Posted on: Monday, 21 November 2005, 21:00 CST

By Victoria Pierce Daily Herald Correspondent

The congregation of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Addison has two special reasons to be thankful this holiday season.

Two church members will be enjoying this Thanksgiving with family and friends, thanks to recent organ transplants that saved their lives.

Although the situations for Addison residents Sandy Hartwig and John Radtke were different, the two can now compare notes as they take anti-rejection drugs following their transplants.

Sandy Hartwig was suffering from extreme fatigue and edema 2 1/2 years ago when she was first diagnosed with the rare bone marrow disease amyloydosis.

"It's quite hard to diagnose," said Hartwig, who suspects more people may have the disease but not realize it.

In 2003, Hartwig had a bone marrow transplant that helped some of her health problems.

"It put me in remission. Otherwise, I would have had a year and a half to live," she said.

But the damage to her kidneys had been done, and regular trips for dialysis were necessary to continue functioning. Then, in 2004, she underwent successful surgery and treatments after being diagnosed with uterine cancer.

In the meantime, her kidney problems continued.

"My doctor said, 'Why not get your life back and get a kidney transplant?' " Hartwig said.

It wasn't something she had really considered before, but after discussing it with her family, her son and daughter both underwent tests to see if they were compatible. They were both perfect matches.

"Can you believe how lucky I am?" Hartwig said, stressing that most people have a difficult time finding a single match for organ transplant, much less two.

On Aug. 8, Hartwig's 41-year-old daughter, Jennifer Spontak of Homer Glen, donated one of her kidneys to her mother at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Although there was some trepidation, Hartwig said her faith guided her through and she felt at peace with the procedure and her daughter's decision.

"You can imagine this Thanksgiving how grateful I am to have my life back," Hartwig said. "She unselfishly gave the ultimate gift."

Hartwig said the situation also showed her just how much support she had from a large network of friends, family, her church and husband, Larry, who is mayor of Addison.

While Hartwig and her family were dealing with their life- altering decision, Radtke was struggling with bouts of severe pain that landed him in the hospital.

He had been diagnosed with liver disease in 2003 when a blood test showed elevated enzyme counts. Those counts kept rising, and in early 2004 after a biopsy, Radtke went on medication that slowed the progress of the disease. But it wasn't long before the medication began losing its effectiveness.

"I was tired all the time. Some days I could barely get up and walk. I bled easily and bruised easily," he said.

Liver disease has many causes, Radtke said, and he's not sure why he contracted it. Since his diagnosis, he learned that three or four cousins on one side of his family also had liver disease, so he suspects there is a genetic component.

This summer was particularly difficult, with some lengthy hospital stays in June and July because of severe pain. In August, his doctor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago told him he was going to need a liver transplant soon. It was something he had mentioned months before but the reality of it was quite daunting at the time, he said.

He was given a cell phone and a pager. If an organ became available, time would be of the essence so he needed to be available 24 hours a day.

It was early on Sept. 3, when the cell phone rang. But it came up as an unknown number so his wife, Doris, didn't answer it. Moments later the pager went off.

"My wife said, 'I guess I should have answered it,' " he said.

Radtke was soon undergoing the transplant that dramatically improved his health in just a matter of weeks. He doesn't know where his donated liver came from, but family members overheard someone say that it was from a young person and had to be flown in from outside the area.

Radtke is grateful for the donation, as well as the support of his family, friends and faith.

"It keeps getting better. I'm gradually getting my strength back," he said.

This Thanksgiving, he won't take the day and his life for granted as he celebrates the day with his family. He and Doris also celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last month, another milestone he was happy to see.

"I didn't expect to be here," he said. "Even though they've had so many successes, I wasn't so sure."

But life won't ever be quite the same. Both Radtke and Hartwig will remain on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. While the drugs keep the body from attacking the new organ, they also suppress the body's immune system.

Hartwig said she doesn't let that worry her.

"I feel great now," she said.

- The Web site for the Illinois Secretary of State organ donation program is www.lifegoeson.com.

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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