July 31, 2008

The first-ever-in-the-nation, three time zone, simultaneous "kidney swap" took place Wednesday morning at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest, N.C., and University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, Colo., as three transplant recipients underwent surgery at the same time and received lifesaving organs from virtual strangers. Meet one of the recipients, her donor, a transplant surgeon and transplant coordinator, to learn what it took to make this unprecedented event happen. Marilyn Brownlee, kidney recipient, Slavo Mrva, kidney donor, Michael Hanaway, M.D., UAB transplant surgeon and Lucy Albritton, R.N., UAB transplant coordinator will be available on Friday, August 1 at 1:00 p.m. at the UAB West Pavilion Conference Center, 615 18th St. S. Meet Media Relations escort under the green awning on 18th Street South, between 6th and 7th Avenues.

"Kidney swaps" result when an incompatible donor/recipient pair is found to be a good match with another incompatible pair. The recipients then "swap" donors. In this case there were three pairs: a man from Colorado, Slavo Mrva, flew to UAB to give a kidney to the UAB patient, Marilyn Brownlee. Mrs. Brownlee's husband Homer traveled to Wake Forest to donate a kidney to a waiting recipient. That recipient's intended donor traveled to Colorado to donate a kidney to Mr. Mrva's wife. All donors and recipients are in good condition.