Alum receives life-saving kidney donation

feb-print slovin and kim

Photo: Kimberley Blanchard (top) donated a Kidney to David Slovin (bottom. Both are Blair graduates, Blanchard of the Class of '82 and Slovin of '06.

Kimberley Blanchard (top) donated a Kidney to David Slovin (bottom. Both are Blair graduates, Blanchard of the Class of '82 and Slovin of '06.

But when he still felt lethargic and weak a month later, 2006 graduate David Slovin knew something was wrong.

His parents took him to the family doctor for a blood test. The following day, his doctor called and advised him to go to the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., immediately. His blood pressure was abnormally high, and he needed treatment.

After a series of tests at the hospital, the doctors determined that Slovin was born with only one kidney — and it had failed.

Slovin's doctors diagnosed him with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which affects over 375,000 Americans and over 7,000 children under the age of 19, according to the National Kidney Foundation. ESRD is a form of kidney failure, meaning the body is no longer able to excrete waste, concentrate urine or regulate electrolytes. Without dialysis — a procedure that removes toxins from the blood that are normally eliminated by the kidneys — or a kidney transplant, the severe complications of ESRD are usually fatal, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Slovin came across a donor completely by chance — and much closer to home than he expected. If it weren't for the kindness and generosity of a woman he had never met, Slovin says he wouldn't be alive today.

The search

Slovin was born in South Korea, adopted and brought to the U.S. when he was five months old. He didn't know his biological parents' medical history, but he never expected that his kidneys would fail.

As soon as Slovin's adoptive parents learned about his condition, they publicized his story in hopes of finding a donor. Phone calls were made. Notices were posted online. Slovin's blood is type-A, so he needed a donor with either type-A or type-O blood.

But even after several months, the family had found no one who was willing to help their son. "It wasn't so much a compatibility issue. It was more finding someone who would be willing to [donate]," Slovin says.

Until then, Slovin visited Children's Hospital three times a week to receive hemodialysis. After a pathway was surgically placed into his arm, Slovin was connected to a large machine that drained most of his blood, bathed it in a special dialysate solution to remove waste, and then returned it to his bloodstream. The procedure lasted approximately four hours each time.

While he attended Blair, Slovin says his teachers and administrators were sympathetic to his circumstances and let him leave school early three times a week for his procedure at the hospital. Though he fell behind on his studies, he was determined to graduate on time and refused to drop any classes.

By spring, Slovin switched from hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis, which was performed by surgically placing a special soft, hollow tube into his lower abdomen. After the tube was implanted, the dialysate fluid absorbed the waste products and toxins and drained them from the abdomen. Slovin was able to undergo the new procedure at home every night while he slept.

A fateful encounter

Unable to find a donor through his family's own efforts, Slovin was placed on the national waiting list. He says that although he was a priority candidate because he was under 18, he would still have to wait several months to receive a kidney. Slovin remained optimistic, and after realizing that he would not be able to start college in the fall, contacted Salisbury University, where he had been accepted. The school allowed him to postpone his matriculation until January 2007.

Soon after, Slovin received a call from the hospital. A woman he had never met was willing to donate her kidney. She was Kimberly Blanchard, and as it so happened, a former Blazer — class of 1982.

Blanchard's friend, who adopted a child from South Korea, had read about Slovin's story through an article the family had posted on the Adoption Service Information Agency web site. Blanchard was struck by the similarities between Slovin and herself. They both had type-A blood. Slovin was born in South Korea, and her father was from South Korea. They both grew up in Silver Spring and, of course, attended Blair.

The 42-year-old piano teacher and mother of two began to consider donating her kidney to Slovin. She talked with friends who had been through the procedure and scheduled an evaluation with her doctor to determine if she was the right candidate for the procedure.

After considering the risks, Blanchard decided she was ready to donate her kidney. "I found out you can live normally and perfectly with just one kidney," she says. "If someone can benefit from your donation, then why not?"

According to University of Maryland Medical Center, one kidney is sufficient to live a normal life, and donating does not affect life expectancy or increase the chance of kidney failure. "After recovery from surgery, you can work, drive, exercise and participate in sports as usual," the center's web site says. "You can continue in all types of occupations, including military duty."

Surgery day

On Aug. 23, Blanchard was at the hospital for a pre-operation check-up when a doctor asked her if she wanted to meet Slovin. Blanchard told him of course.

The doctor led her into a room where Slovin was waiting to go into surgery, his family by his side. "It was all very emotional. We hugged and we talked about a lot of things," Blanchard says. "We maybe had five minutes or less together, but it was really neat."

Five days later, on Aug. 28, Blanchard arrived at the Children's National Medical Center at 5:30 a.m. with Slovin's mother by her side. The two women checked in and awaited the call to begin the surgery. Blanchard was taken into the operating room first, where she was put on morphine.

But her body did not respond well to the drug, and she felt extreme pain at a few points. Eventually, the doctors regulated the anesthetic, and Blanchard went completely numb.

An hour later, Slovin was called into the adjacent operating room. He, too, was placed on morphine and put to sleep.

The next day, Blanchard and Slovin awoke in neighboring hospital beds. After checking in on how the other was doing, each fell back asleep. Blanchard was discharged from the hospital two days after the surgery. Slovin left five days after.

Moving forward

Slovin is determined to continue his studies at Salisbury University, where he plans to major in history and, afterward, join the military. He still visits the hospital regularly — he has to monitor his new kidney carefully to make sure his body does not reject it.

Blanchard still leads what she refers to as a "hectic and exciting" life. She remains active and involved with her children and says the only change after the surgery is her relationship with Slovin and his family. "It was really worth it," she says. "I would encourage anyone who has ever thought about donating to do it." And to this day, Slovin and Blanchard still keep in touch.