Harris kidney transplant successful

On January 24, David Harris donated one of his kidneys to his wife, Barbara Harris. The transplant at Strong Memorial Hospital was accomplished by Dr. Abel Bozorgzadeh, who removed David's kidney, and Dr. Mark Orloff, who prepared Barbara to receive it. It was a five-hour operation and a complete success. The transplanted kidney began working immediately.

David was up the next day and went home after four days. He says, "I feel fine. I can drive in two weeks and I will be out of work for sixteen weeks."

Barbara went home in six days and says, "I feel good. I will probably take anti-rejection medicine for life."

Team Harris, formed by the congregation of the Parma Greece United Church of Christ at 1211 Manitou Road in Parma, was divided into three sub-teams of volunteers: child care, food and Sunday school. This, too, was a huge success.

Team Harris originally formed with a time frame starting on January 15 to run for at least six or eight weeks. The operation was rescheduled for January 24 and the team scrambled to adjust the schedule for the volunteers.

Team leaders had these comments: Nancy Grierson - child care: "There are ten volunteers including three family members. Each one takes a four-and-a-half hour block of time twice a day. We will carry on until February 22."

Kay Perrine - food: "It's going very well. Seventeen people were cooperative and generous. Feed back indicates it is a big help. We plan to continue until February 21."

Marion Morton - Sunday school: "It's been longer than first expected but we have lots of support. Everybody is very cooperative. It's been a very pleasant experience."

Pastor Gary Ferner comments on Team Harris: "It exceeded all expectations and met the goals and hopes. It pulled the church together. Everyone is better off for it."

Barbara and David Harris: "We thank everyone for their generosity and help. It put our minds at ease. It is a great support system. We love you all."