Giving the gift of life was not a hard decision for Sherri Moeser. It was just her way of giving back.
“When I found out he had kidney disease I knew this was something I wanted to at least try,” says Moeser.
And try she did. On April 11, Moeser donated a kidney to her cousin, Father Glenn Eftink, someone who is more than just a relative. He is a pastor at a southwest Missouri church who had a personal impact on her life.
“I asked her ‘Why are you doing this?’ because it’s a very brave thing to do,” says Eftink.
“Well, back when he was newly ordained,” says Moeser. “He volunteered to work with me and my husband when we were getting married and had our wedding and he volunteered to Baptize my son and I feel like I owe him something.”
In the category of going above and beyond, Moeser decided to do just that by participating in a living organ donation.
“Living donation not only speeds up the process of getting an organ, but it also means that the operation is performed under ideal conditions, which usually results in far better outcomes for the recipient,” says Betsy Tuttle-Newhall, MD, director of the center for abdominal transplantation at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and a SLUCare physician. “Typically, recipients have shorter hospital stays and fewer complications, require less anti-rejection medication, and receive organs that last longer than those from deceased donors.”
For more about living donation, visit our SLUtransplant site here. For more on Sherri and Father Glenn, watch the above feature from FOX2’s Anthony Kieko.
