Inspired by the selfless acts of four anonymous kidney donors, Loyola University Medical Center announced the launch of its Pay-It-Forward Kidney Transplant Program, the first of its kind in the Midwest and the largest number of altruistic donors to ever begin such a program in the United States. Loyola administrators, doctors, kidney donors, recipients and their families gathered together for a March 30 news conference at the university’s health center campus in west suburban Maywood to unveil the program, its compelling stories and potential benefits. The Pay-It-Forward Kidney Transplant Program begins when an altruistic donor steps forward and offers to donate a kidney to a stranger, thereby beginning a chain. The donor’s kidney is then given to a compatible transplant candidate who has an incompatible donor, who in turn agrees to give a kidney to a third person with an incompatible donor. The chain can progress infinitely. Dr. John Milner, program director of Loyola’s Living Donor Program, praised the efforts of Loyola’s four anonymous donors and the impact their decision would have on ensuring life for others. He called the program, which can cut recipient wait times in half and multiply the number of transplants, a “spectacular improvement” in the nation’s approach to living-donor kidney donation. “What traditionally happens is that a hospital will take an altruistic donor and keep that donor within its walls and get only one transplant done,” Milner said. “We, however, view these donors as national treasures and not institutional commodities to not be shared. We will offer our donors to any other hospital with the goal of getting more people transplanted.” 10-year wait In Chicago, many patients needing a kidney transplant can wait as long as 10 years for a compatible donor, heightening the importance of kidney donation. Last year, there were 15,000 available kidneys for a waiting list that reached 84,000. “The need for a program like this has never been so dire; there are simply not enough kidneys to go around,” said Dr. David Holt, medical director of Loyola’s Renal Transplant Vision. Less than 24 hours removed from surgery, altruistic kidney donor Cynthia Ruiz of LaGrange met the family of Missouri teen Melissa Clynes, who received Ruiz’s kidney on March 29 at Loyola. The emotional meeting included the news that Melissa’s sister, Sarah, will donate her kidney to a stranger in the coming days, a sign of the Pay-It-Forward chain in action. For his faltering kidneys, Robert Rylko, a 21-year-old Rockford resident, endured three-hour dialysis treatments three times each week. On March 18, Rylko received a kidney from Christina Lamb, a 45-year-old Melrose Park woman who was inspired to become a donor after her husband received a kidney — and a renewed quality of life — five years ago. Rylko and Lamb met for the first time at the March 30 news conference. “I truly believe in the term ‘pay it forward’ and how important it is to give somebody quality of life,” said Lamb, herself a health care worker. Hope for future For Rylko, the transplant offers brighter prospects for the future. He looks forward to returning to school and getting into the working world, leaving his frequent visits to the hospital behind. “I couldn’t be any happier,” Rylko said, soon after embracing Lamb and sharing his gratitude. As a Catholic institution, Loyola is proud to be the nation’s leading hospital for such charitable, selfless acts, Loyola University Health System president and CEO Dr. Paul Whelton said. “This whole program underlies the ethos of the Catholic tradition of being present for people and helping them in their time of need,” Whelton said.