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SALT LAKE CITY — Dan Webb was already prepared to donate a kidney when he saw a plea on Facebook from a man in Virginia asking for help.
Originally, Webb had gone through testing at the University of Utah to donate a kidney to his cousin. He had a surgery date scheduled for the transplant, but was deployed to Afghanistan before it could happen. Webb's father ended up donating a kidney in his place.
Webb wasn't necessarily looking for an opportunity to donate when he saw a photo that had gone viral on Facebook of a Virginia man's daughter asking for help to find a kidney donor, but he wanted to see if he could serve. The U. still had Webb's information on file, so he contacted the man's coordinator in Virginia.
“I kind of just wanted to throw my hat in the ring to see if I was a match," he said. "When I found out that I was, I was already mentally ready to go from my cousin, so I don’t see it as a really big sacrifice on my part or anything like that — I had already went through that process mentally.”
• 100,602 people are waiting for kidney transplants as of May 21
• 14,029 transplants took place in 2013
• 9,314 kidney transplants came from deceased donors in 2013
• 4,715 kidney transplants came from living donors in 2013
• 2,500 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month
• 14 people die each day while waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant
• Every 20 minutes someone new is added to the kidney transplant list
• 3,381 patients died while waiting for a kidney transplant in 2013
Source: National Kidney Foundation
There are currently 100,602 people in the U.S. waiting for kidney transplants, according to the National Kidney Foundation. In 2013, there were 14,029 kidney transplants, of which 9,314 came from deceased donors and 4,715 came from living donors.
However, there is still a larger number of people who need kidney transplants than there are kidney donations. There were 3,381 people who died while waiting for a transplant in 2013, the NKF reported. They said every day an average of 14 people die waiting for a transplant, and every month 2,500 new patients are added to the kidney transplant wait list.
While working to get his cousin a transplant, Webb said he learned that when a kidney comes from live donor, the recipient's life expectancy is increased by 20 years, compared to 10 years if the transplant comes from a cadaver donor. Webb's cousin has been doing well since he received a transplant and he said the surgery is worth it.
“I’m going to have to be careful, so I’ll have to sacrifice some stuff and be pretty cautious with only one kidney after this, but it’s really not that bad," Webb said. "I’m not giving up my eyesight or anything like that and to give someone an extra 20 years on their life if they take it — it seems like a pretty minimal sacrifice for a lot of gain.”
Webb will fly out to Virginia for the surgery, which is currently scheduled for June 5, and pay for the transportation out of pocket. Webb has been cleared to donate for a few months, but the transplant was delayed until the recipient's health improved.
Webb hasn't met the recipient in person yet, but the two have been able to develop a relationship on the phone. He said learning about the recent birth of the recipient's grandchild gave Webb extra motivation to donate the kidney so the man can be around longer.
I'm not giving up my eyesight or anything like that and to give someone an extra 20 years on their life if they take it — it seems like a pretty minimal sacrifice for a lot of gain.
–Dan Webb
“I get asked a lot why I’m doing it, and you hear a lot of talk recently about PTSD and stuff like that about veterans returning home. And I think with me, after Afghanistan there hasn’t really been a lot that still makes me happy, but I found that service, selfless service, is one of those things still that cheer me up and keep me going,” Webb said.
Webb served in Afghanistan during 2010 and 2011. His company was in the Kunar Valley, near the border of Pakistan, and would drive up and down the roads to look for bombs and gunmen to clear the path for convoys coming up behind them.
He is still active in the army, but said he only has one year of service left and doesn't expect recovering from the surgery to hinder his activities too much. He will stay in the hospital for about a week and will likely be sore for a while after that. Webb said as long as he is still healthy and can run and do push-ups, his command hasn't had any issues with him becoming a donor.
“If people are interested in donating kidneys, I think the donor gets a lot out of it, too, from knowing that they helped somebody, because it’s not just him — it’s his family, it’s his new grandchild,” he said. “Everybody is affected by this and it makes me feel good as a person, so hopefully more people will get in contact with the U. of U. and see if they can get tested for it.”
Those interested in becoming a donor can find more information on the National Kidney Foundation website or contact the University of Utah.
