Fargo's first kidney recipient – 19 years later
Every July 6, Carol Lemier gets out her scrapbook and surgery video and celebrates a lifechanging event. On that day in 1989, she received a healthy kidney from her older brother Paul, becoming the Fargo transplant program's first kidney recipient.
"It wasn't so much scary as it was exciting," recalls the 47-year-old from Fargo. "I knew it was my second chance for life."
Prior to the transplant, Carol suffered kidney failure, prompting the need for dialysis beginning in April 1989. "My last dialysis session was July 5, and on July 6, I had a working kidney. It was a miracle," she says. "If it hadn't been for the generosity of my brother and the medical team that did my surgery, I wouldn't be here today. I'm very thankful."
Carol continues to enjoy good health and quality of life, including working, bike-riding, reading and being an aunt to 23 nieces and nephews. "I'm having a great time," she says. "And my brother Paul continues to do well, too. He was always the one to watch over me – and still does."
If you're considering becoming an organ donor, Carol has a message: "Think really hard about it – then sign up. I'm so grateful for the gift of life my brother gave me."
Learn how you too can give the gift of life.
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