Lawrence "Chief" Montalto
My family Doctor, James Smith, noticed through multiple urine specimens in 2015 that I was losing protein, at the time I was employed as a supplier engineer for Bemis corporation in Shelbyville, Ky. He advised me to see a abdominal specialist at U of L hospital. I saw Dr Martin and after some tests and scans he noticed I had a lesion on my liver. He recommended a minor surgical procedure in December 2016. The lesion was determined to be non-cancerous and I went back to work. My physical condition began to deteriorate shortly thereafter a little bit each day, I was informed that I has NASH, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis. I also developed a high ammonia level which adversely my mind and actions in subsequent months (I have some good stories about that for another time. I took repeated trips by ambulance to both Jewish hospitals, eventually resulting in my being brought to Jewish ICU in Mid May, where I was immediately placed on dialysis 24 hours, 7 days for 45 days. I was informed that I needed a kidney and liver transplant and the staff preferred I get both organs from the same donor. During this period, my wife Marie remained at my bedside 24 hours a day, I would not be here today without her. On June10th, 2017, I received a new liver after an 11 hour surgery, and on June 11, a 4 hour surgery for a new kidney. Thanks to Dr Eric Davis and Dr Mary Eng for their skills and the rest of the staff for their assistance in getting me through. As a result of being bedridden for so long, I required 3 weeks of inhouse rehab learning how to walk again. I was blessed to be able to return to work and retire in 2019. I realized after my retirement that my mission in life is now to volunteer in a myriad of functions, I was good at receiving for years, it's time to give back. I am fortunate to know many other great folks involved in the transplantation process. I would be remiss to not thank my donor, my wife and family, friends, medical staff and God for permitting me to contribute to the benefit of others.
Tom Coleman
Tom Coleman of Louisville always knew he was part of a bigger plan. For years, he’s been an advocate for organ donation. His mother-in-law received a liver transplant in 1990, and he had friends who had been living kidney donors; the concept of giving a part of oneself to help another wasn’t unfamiliar to him. But it wasn’t until he and his family attended the Transplant Games in 2002 that he understood how impactful organ donation could be.“That was the first big introduction to organ donation for me,” he said. “Seeing the people, meeting some of the recipients, hearing the stories— it’s hard not to get involved after hearing some of those stories.”Tom became an active organ donation champion, attending every biennial Transplant Game with his wife to support organ transplant recipients, living donors and donor families who were part of Second Chance at Life/Team Kentucky. Seeing both recipients and donors lead such rich and active lives while engaging in friendly competition was inspiring. He had always been interested in being a kidney donor, but thoughts of “what if”
gave him pause. The fact that no one in his wife’s family was a suitable match only strengthened his resolve. Tom contacted the Living Kidney Donor Program at the UK HealthCare Transplant Center and started the testing and screening process, anxious and terrified that he wouldn’t be a match either. He wasn’t. But Tom didn’t view this as a setback; it was an opportunity to pay it forward. Through their work with the Transplant Games, he and Debbie knew all about the National Kidney Registry (NKR), an organization that facilitates kidney transplants through living donors. If someone isn’t a match for their loved one, just as Tom wasn’t a match for Debbie, the donor can donate to someone on the registry and receive a voucher in return that can then be used by their original intended recipient. In short, one donates to a stranger in need on the transplant list, and in return, their loved one receives a kidney from another stranger on the living donor list.“This essentially creates a chain of donations through a complex matching algorithm,” said Rachael Benezet, transplant nurse coordinator in the Living Kidney Donor Program. The core function of NKR is the “voucher program” where a donor gives a kidney to someone in need and receives a voucher that can be redeemed by their chosen recipient for a future transplant. When the recipient needs a transplant, they are activated on the NKR waitlist, Tom and Debbie have been involved with Second Chance at Life/Team Kentucky at the Transplant Games since 2002, supporting organ donors, recipients donor families .and the search immediately begins for a suitable donor within the network. If the recipient is not currently in imminent need of the kidney, then the voucher can be held for them to use when they are ready.The Colemans had an opportunity rarely afforded to those on the waitlist — they could wait. Since Debbie’s condition does not yet necessitate advanced treatment such as dialysis, Tom scheduled his donation so that he could be fully healed and recovered in time to help Debbie after her transplant. On Oct. 9, Tom — anxious and excited but never nervous — underwent a nephrectomy, performed by Alexandre P. Ancheta, M.D. He had no qualms or reservations about his decision; he was joking with his surgical team that without his left kidney, maybe his golf swing would improve. After the surgery, Tom was warned about the potential of a high level of discomfort, but he found he only needed his prescribed pain medication for just a few
days. He spent just one night in the hospital, where a memorable interaction reconfirmed his decision to donate. “As I was coming back from a walk, I was stopped by a nurse who was with a guy who was about my age,” Tom said. “She introduced me, saying I had just donated a kidney. This guy told me he was on his second kidney replacement and that he wanted to shake my hand. That meant the world to me. Tom is now fully recovered and back at work. But he often thinks about his recipient. He doesn’t know anything about them, but he was told they were doing “amazing” — and that’s more than good enough for him.“That’s the most important thing,” Tom said. “Iwould love to hear from them and hear their story. But if not, as long as I know it was a success and improved their life, I’m happy with that.” The NKR algorithm is hard at work to find a suitable kidney for Debbie, analyzing blood type, tissue type and other medical criteria between donors and recipients to maximize compatibility. Based on these factors, it’s estimated that the NKR will find a match for Debbie within about four months. Two-and-a-half months after his donation, Tom reflects on his experience as a living donor and the decades of organ donation advocacy that informed his decision. And he couldn’t be happier.“Physically, I feel amazing,” he said. “I feel even better inside. I would never call myself a hero, but I’m very proud of what I did. I feel so much joy inside. ”Benezet said there’s no better model for living donation advocacy than Tom Coleman. "Tom is deeply passionate and well-informed about living kidney donation and was unwavering in his determination to donate to his wife,” she said. “His commitment to donation and transplant is evident, and he aspires to inspire others by raising awareness about living kidney donation.”The UK Transplant Center works with an average of 45 living donors per year; this year, Benezet and her team facilitated 14 NKR donations, including advanced donors and paired exchanges; another eight patients are waiting to be matched up. As with all organ donation, the demand far exceeds the supply.“We encourage everyone interested, aged 18 years or older, to come forward for donation even if they are not a match for their intended recipient,” she said. “Through the NKR, we can find their loved one a living kidney donor and hopefully get them the transplant they need. ”For anyone considering registering as an organ donor, Tom would ask them just two questions.“Why not? If you can help someone else or save a life, why not do it?” he said. “It was a no-brainer. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had an extra to give. For those of you on the fence, if your loved one needed one, would you take one?”
Crystal Olafsen
My best friend Michelle Schmitt and I met when we were 7 and 8 years old. Michelle and her older sister Ashley Schmitt were both born with a liver disease called Byler's Syndrome. This caused both of them to need a liver transplant as toddlers. The antirejection medications they took since their transplants eventually caused kidney damage. Both of them ended up in renal failure just months apart from each other. On November 1st 2011 (11-1-11) I donated my kidney to Michelle. That kidney worked better in her than it ever did in me!! In fact her creatinine got as low as 0.4! I didn't even know a Creatinine level could get so low!
Her new kidney kept her alive and healthy. She was able to finish college, get married, and experience everything life had to offer her. On May 7th 2021, Michelle suddenly passed away (from something not related to her kidney transplant). Because I chose to donate my kidney to her, we were blessed with 9 more years together.
Richard Seedle
My name is Richard Seedle and I was in need of a bilateral lung transplant . Diagnosed in 2015 with pulmonary fibrosis and was told that maybe 2 years without a transplant. Dr. Baz was a fantastic Dr. I went to all my visits, did all my testing then was eventually on 10 liters of oxygen and my wife Carol had to take me in a wheelchair, because I was hardly able to walk any distance at all. I believe early May of 2017 Dr. Baz called me to says they had harvested two lungs for me but one was unusable. He gave my wife and I about an hour to decide what we wanted to do. I only wanted to do this once so we decided to wait. After about 10 days went by and I was second guessing myself, thinking I had made the very worst mistake of my life. I could tell I was declining pretty quick. About 10 days later it was Carol and Mom's bingo night (Mom had lived with us since the death of my Father in 2012). They were just leaving when my phone rang, I told them to hold on it was UK calling. Dr. Baz told me they had two lungs and to head to the hospital. Which we did after a few tears of joy. Our Daughter Tiffany joined us and they prepped me and I met my surgeon Dr. Shaffe. Not sure of spelling. He was pretty worn out and wanted to rest for a few hours so my family and I just talked and prayed until Dr. Shaffe came in and asked if I was ready. This was May 17th the day of my transplant. They took me into surgery, asked what kind of music I liked, they put it on and that's all I remember until I woke up a few days later with tubes and hoses everywhere. Of course I did the rehab and went home after only 18 days. The first year was a little rough, due to some blood clots, rejection and etc. The most wonderful thing was unbeknownst to me at the time of my surgery, my daughter was pregnant with our very first grandchild. I didn't find out until Father's day. Our granddaughter was bron that December 2017. I was her babysitter after our Daughter went back to work. Today we are best buddies and fishing partners. Without someone caring enough to give the gift of life, God, and all the wonferful Doctors and nurses I would never had been able to experience the joy 😊 of having her in my life. Also to be thankful each and every day since being given my 2nd chance.
Beth Burbridge
I saw a neighbor’s post on our neighborhood Facebook page asking for help for his son Jackson. Jackson had been battling a rare form of kidney disease for years and desperately needed a transplant. Thinking of my own three sons at home, I knew that I wanted to help their family. Within a few months, I completely passed testing and was approved to donate one of my kidneys to Jackson. Immediately after surgery, my kidney started working for Jackson. Since then, he’s been on all sorts of adventures powered in part by my kidney! He is getting to live the life that he always should have due to my gift to him.
Mark Robertson
My name is Mark Robertson, after being on dialysis for almost 9 years (18 years old) I was blessed with a kidney transplant in May of 2025. As I was going through the motions of dialysis, I felt my life was over. As GOD blessed me with a great GOD fearing family along with my dialysis center family, who would constantly keep me focused on life. He then sent my girlfriend (now wife) to also keep me focused on the joys of life. As she brought joy to my life, he then blessed me with a little girl and with the family I know felt my life had purpose. Shortly afterwards I was blessed with a kidney. Currently I'm a father of 5 and enjoying every moment of life.
Desiree Ellis
My cousin but more like a sister needed a kidney. Majority of my life she went to dialysis. One day we were talking and I asked her “what if I go to the doctor to see if we are a match” we joke about it. And didn’t say nothing else about it. Days went by, I asked her again. She kept saying no but eventually she said we can try if your a match. We both went through all these testing/blood work, to see if we were capable. The results finally came back. And we were a match!! She kept asking me “am I sure that I want to go through this, and if I want to back out, I can” Fast forward to 2/24/15, I did it, I donated my kidney to my cousin, that’s more like a sister to me. But unfortunately my sister recently passed away 6/22/24 from a triple bypass heart surgery.
Kirk Menefee
The realization I was soon going to die and would not be able to live a normal life was something that I never dreamed would happen to me. I was so strong and fit that at first I didn’t believe this was happening. But idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is unrelenting and like a thief in the night it slowly starts robbing your body’s ability to make oxygen for yourself and live a normal life. This disease took me down the longest darkest road I’ve ever been on. To not be able to do the normal things I had done all my life, like walk, climb the stairs, or just pick up my grandchildren and hug them was the lowest point in my life.
Now there was just one ray of light at the end of the tunnel, one miracle that I never took my eye off of because it gave me hope, strength, and a reason to continue to live—a lung transplant.
I was given a second chance at life. The thought of a stranger losing their life yet donating a life-saving organ so that I may return to a normal life is a debt I will never be able to repay and a responsibility that I will never forget.
I am now back to swimming, 2 miles a day, walking 18 holes of golf and playing tirelessly with my grandchildren. This miracle I’ve been given starts with thanking God, my donor, my family, and all the many doctors, surgeons and nurses.
To once again be able to live a normal life is the greatest gift I have ever been given. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you have until something like this is taken away from you and you look back at where you’ve been and what you’ve gone through and you feel so immensely grateful. There are no words to adequately describe being given a Second Chance at Life!
Kyleen Kelly
My son, Mark Kelly, was diagnosed with liver disease age 5 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. A liver transplant was a risky operation in 1967 so a liver shunt was done. Mark led a normal life till age 37 when he was told a liver transplant was his only chance of surviving and October 18, 1999, he was listed at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky.. The next 7 months he was in and out of the hospital weekly. On May 15th, 2000, while in ICU at Jewish Hospital his status went to #1 Nationwide, for 24 hours, for a liver transplant. The hospital chaplain had become a family friend after 7 months and he suggested we make pre-arrangements for Mark's funeral. I immediately called our minister at Northeast Christian Church and ask for he and the elders of our church to come to the ICU and pray over Mark. A sense of peace came over all of us and we truly believed a DONOR WOULD BE FOUND in time. At 9:30 p.m. that evening we were told a DONOR HAD BEEN FOUND for Mark. Our lives were forever changed by a 22 year old young man by the name of MACON GILES. He was killed in a 4 Wheeler accident in Western Kentucky. Mark made a remarkable recovery from the liver transplant after spending 67 days in hospital and rehab . Now age 62, Mark takes 1 anti-rejection pill twice a day. A true miracle given by our ANGEL MACON GILES. We met his family 2 years after transplant and remain connected to this day.
I have remained involved with Second Chance At Life now over 25 years. My mission has and will always be to reduce the waiting list for transplants and to promote organ, eye and tissue donation when and where I can.
Mary Anne Tinnell
When my husband, Bobby and I signed up to be organ donors it never occurred that one of us would ever need an organ transplant. In 2000 he became ill with an autoimmune liver disease, PSC. He was listed at one transplant center for three years and kept getting worse and worse. We were afraid he would become so ill he would not be healthy enough for a transplant. After research we found Multiple listing is allowed by OPTN policy. However, it is up to each hospitalto decide whether to accept you as a candidate AND if they accept a patient being multi listed. We chose another transplant center within ninety-eight miles (in a different OPO). He received his gift of life within five months and would have had his liver transplant even faster but each time they called with a liver; he was in the local hospital with fever/infections.
Bobby was so grateful to his donor and when he passed away in 2011 his wishes were carried-out to be a tissue donor.
As they say, “Don’t take your organs to Heaven, Heaven knows we need them here!”
