OKLAHOMA CITY -
A pair of
life-saving surgeries here in the metro gives two Oklahoma families something
to truly be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Two men received new kidneys from their best friends.
Kyle Winters and
Garrett Reed both had kidney transplants in the past that, unfortunately,
failed. But each of them
had a friend willing to donate a kidney without hesitation; an incredible act
of kindness they're giving thanks for.
Miles Baker and
Garrett Reed grew up together in Snyder, Okla. The friends have been doing
rodeo competitions for years. And when Garrett
needed a new kidney, Miles didn't hesitate.
"Nothing struck a spark in my mind to do it," Baker says. "I just
knew about his health, I knew he was weak, [and] I knew he could be better
off."
Garrett had a
kidney transplant in 2005 that failed. Before surgery last month, he'd been on
dialysis for nine months.
"I was
driving up here two days a week for dialysis, going to class two days a week and
just roping when I could and you'd just get so run down and tired, you can't
hardly do much," Reed said.
Transplant surgery
at OU Medical Center has changed his life. It's changed the
life of Kyle Winters too.
"I thought it
was the thing to do," Kenneth Morrison donated
his kidney to Kyle in late September.
"I had
several people at work tell me 'Sure I'll give you a kidney. Tell me what I need
to do." People say [that] because they do care, but doesn't mean they're going to go
through with the whole process," said Kyle.
Doctors say both
surgeries were successful. And all four men are thankful for friendship this Thanksgiving.
On Wednesday, one surgeon
pointed out that because Kyle and Garrett received kidneys from living
donors, two other people in need of a new kidney are now one step closer.
They've moved up on the donor list now too.
Doctors say
kidneys from unrelated living donors are rare, fewer than half a percent.
More than 90,000
people are currently on the national kidney transplant waiting list.
Miles Baker and Garrett Reed (Left in the cowboy hats) and Kyle Winters and Kenneth Morrison (Right)
