Kalida family part of quad-kidney exchange

Lima Ohio | Nancy Kline


Photo: Luke and Kathy Kaufman, Kalida, look at the paperwork provided by the OSU hospital prior to Luke's transplant. (Nancy Kline/PutnamVoice)

KALIDA — A Kalida mother and son were both part of eight people involved in a chain transplant done July 25 at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.

Kathy Kaufman and her son, Luke, both had operations on that day as part of a kidney exchange that included four donors giving kidneys to four recipients.

The kidney exchange works when patients who need kidneys have donors who do not match them but are willing to donate. The staff at the transplant center matched donors and recipients by blood and tissue type.

This chain transplant was the second longest ever done at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Kaufman said the hospital once did a six-way kidney exchange.

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