What makes a really good deed?

By Ilse Zvirgzdins

Whatís a kidney among friends? Not that big of a deal apparently. Just ask Pat Pearson and Clifford Price. Both donated kidneys to fellow postal workers. That means they volunteered to undergo surgery. They volunteered to eat hospital food. They werenít related to the individuals who got their kidneys. They just did it.

There are good deeds and then there are really good deeds.

"I want people to know that they don't have to be afraid of being a donor," says Pearson, a postal clerk in Ocean View, DE. "It's really not that bad." Pearson let doctors remove one of her two healthy kidneys and give it to Don Milstead, a retired postmaster from McLean, VA, whose diseased kidneys had stopped functioning. A single kidney is entirely capable of sustaining normal life.

Ilze Zvirgzdins formerly with Cable News Network and United Press International is now a freelance writer.

At this point, it's important to note that when Pearson says "not that bad" she does not mean "painless.""It was harder than childbirth but once I saw the difference in Don, it was worth it," says the fortyish, red-haired, blue-eyed mother of two teenage daughters.

It also has to be noted that it was not entirely altruism on Pearson's part. She and Milstead are more than "just friends." They're dating and that undoubtedly had a lot to do with her decision. "I don't think she grabs people off the street and offers them kidneys," laughs Milstead affectionately. Pudgy and robust, he's come a long way from the gaunt, gray-hued man he was before the transplant operation.

So what about Price? He's a letter carrier in Washington, DC, who donated one of his kidneys to fellow letter carrier Arnold Winn. They were working out of the same post office when Winn mentioned he was looking for a kidney and Price offered: "If you need one, why not?" What motivated Price? If a voice can project a good heart, his does. "It's a thing of beauty to see a person's health restored," he says. Winn says simply, "It's a gift of life."

Pain-averse and squeamish at the thought? There is another way to donate organs and tissues. After they are no longer needed. After death.

Gerald Banks, a letter carrier from Pleasant Grove, AL, is back working 10-hour days on his route because someone made the decision to be an organ donor. He had a liver transplant last March after his immune system went haywire and attacked his own liver. Of course he's grateful. "It's a good thing," he says. "You can't take it with you."

Ready to make a lifesaving difference? It's a personal decision, of course. But if you're leaning in that direction, here are some things to consider:

It's possible to transplant 25 different organs and tissues, including bone and cartilage, cornea, heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas and bone marrow. In fact, this year, the Postal Service signed on as a partner with the National Marrow Donor Registry and interested employees can get information about registering as a donor by calling 1-800-MARROW2.

According to the Coalition on Donation, a Richmond, VA-based group whose purpose is to increase awareness of organ and tissue donation, the number of Americans specifically awaiting life-saving organs is rapidly approaching 40,000, while hundreds of thousands more could benefit from tissue transplants.

Thousands of people die each year for lack of donors. People of all ages, races and economic backgrounds are waiting for organ and tissue transplants.

What can you do? Sign a Uniform Organ Donor Card. Share your decision with your family. The cards are available from a variety of sources, including such groups at the American Liver Foundation, or you can call the Coalition on Donation at 1-800-355-SHARE.

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