Alumnus Brings Awareness to Organ Donation

Central Catholic High School Blog

If you happen to run into Thom Pawlecki ’63, you would probably never know that he needs a kidney transplant. Despite the fact that his kidneys are only operating at 20%, Thom enjoys golfing and goes about his daily life. And by helping to spread the word about the importance of organ donation, Thom hopes to keep enjoying his life for years to come.

Thom has type 2 diabetes and blood pressure issues, and his doctors test his kidney function on a regular basis. Through routine blood and urine tests, doctors discovered his kidney failure, and in May he was added to the kidney transplant list at the University of Toledo Medical Center.

“In order to qualify for the kidney transplant list, you have to be pretty healthy,” Thom says. “You have to be able to handle the surgery and to be a good steward of the kidney. They don’t want to give a kidney to someone who smokes or has an unhealthy lifestyle. That has been a really interesting education.”

Read more: http://toledocchs.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/1970/