Kidney Recipient Reaches Goals in Her "New Life"

During the spring and winter of 1998, Freda Greene often felt cold and tired. Sometimes her knees and legs would swell, too. But she didn't worry: Freda blamed the symptoms on her hypertension or stomach problems that plagued her periodically. The Shaker Heights resident also speculated she was working too hard in her drafty office as a customer service representative.

"Then one day at work I felt funny," says Freda. "It was April 5th. I remember the date because that's the day my life changed. A small voice in my head told me to go to the hospital." She left work early and went to the emergency room at the Cleveland Clinic. When a nurse discovered Freda's blood pressure was a dangerously high 220/200, she rushed her to the doctor for further examination.

That day, Freda learned she had kidney failure: Her kidneys no longer cleaned her blood, so harmful wastes were building up in her body. "I didn't realize I was so sick," says Freda. She believes the small voice she heard urging her to go to the hospital was the voice of God. The decision may have saved her life.
Freda spent approximately six weeks in the hospital, beginning dialysis treatment the day after she was admitted. When she was released, Freda continued dialysis three times a week. "My kidneys never kicked back in," she says. Within a year, Freda was placed on the organ waiting list with nearly 100,000 other people across the United States. Every 13 minutes, someone new is added to the national waiting list, according to LifeBanc, northeast Ohio's organ procurement and tissue recovery agency.

Freda dreaded dialysis. "I made up my mind I was not going to live like this. I wasn't going to be on dialysis all my life," she says. "I did everything the doctors said so I could be healthy enough to get the transplant." She began eating a healthy diet and took all her medications as ordered. She also promised herself that after transplantation, she would finish her college degree and land a better job.

On January 20, 2001, Freda received her donor kidney. Now, she says, she has "a new life." And she's met her goals: Freda earned an associate's degree from Cuyahoga Community College and works in the Information Technology Department at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center. She plans to transfer to Ursuline College to finish her bachelor's degree.

"No matter what happens in life, you have to be determined and look forward," says the 43-year-old. She was able to do that thanks, in part, to her organ donor's family. "Because of their selflessness, I am here today and able to live life to the fullest." Freda enjoys time with her two daughters and young grandson.

"Because of the experience I've been through, I'm aware of the importance of organ donation," says Freda. "When you hear my story, know that someone gave me life. That's what donation is all about. I know it's a scary thought, but if you die today, you can help someone else live on. You don't need any body parts where you're going."

Currently, nearly 100,000 men, women and children in the United States and thousands in Ohio are waiting for a life-saving transplant. You can become a registered organ donor right now or by saying “yes” when renewing your driver license or state ID at the BMV.