Cincinnati--On January 11, 2001 Channel 5 reporter and anchor Lisa Cooney donated a kidney to Andrew Thelen, 28, of Lakeside Park, Ky. The procedure was performed by transplant surgeons E. Steve Woodle, M.D. and Joseph Buell, M.D. at The University Hospital. Roy First, M.D., nephrologist, has been managing Thelen's care.
Cooney and Thelen are not related, but met several years ago. She decided to donate her kidney after several tests showed she was a candidate. Members of Thelen's family were prepared to donate but none showed to be a match.
Thelen, who was born with two non-functioning kidneys, received his first kidney when he was just 18 months old, making him the Tristate's youngest-ever recipient of a kidney transplant. He lived with this kidney for two decades, but it had been failing over the past few years. Thelen was staying alive by dialysis and was on the waiting list for a kidney for more than a year.
Cooney's kidney was removed Thursday morning by laproscopic procedure. This is a less-invasive procedure that shortens the recovery time for donors. As of Friday, Cooney is listed in good condition at The University Hospital and Thelen is listed in fair condition.
The Kidney Transplant Program at The University Hospital in conjunction with The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine performed the first adult kidney transplant in 1967. This transplant procedure was a living kidney donor transplant. The donated kidney has functioned nearly 32 years and continues to function as of August 1999. There have been more than 1200 transplants performed at The University Hospital since the program began. Over the last 30 years, there have been many changes in transplantation with regard to immunosuppressive agents and donor and recipient criteria. The success of the program can be largely attributed to our outstanding staff of highly specialized, experienced physicians and nurses dedicated to caring exclusively for kidney transplant patients.
The University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance. The Health Alliance is an integrated health care delivery system which includes The Christ Hospital, The University Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital, and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care.</p><br>
