After bypass surgery, my doctor said not to worry about my heart, but that I better turn my attention to my kidneys. They were deteriorating rapidly."
A Shared Kidney Brightens One Couple’s Retirement
Al and Ann Ransegnola enjoy spending time with some of their grandchildren.
Al and Ann Ransegnola of Denville dreamed of a carefree retirement. Mr. Ransegnola who had been diagnosed with chronic glomerulonephritis at age 21, had led an active life, married, raised four children, and was a dedicated science teacher for 32 years at Union Township Junior High School. However, when the symptoms of kidney disease made it difficult to continue working, Mr. Ransegnola retired at age 55. Two years later, he suffered a heart attack. “After bypass surgery, my doctor said not to worry about my heart, but that I better turn my attention to my kidneys.
They were deteriorating rapidly,” he explains. When dialysis became necessary, the Ransegnolas met with a nurse at the dialysis center and Mrs. Ransegnola took a worn newspaper article about spouses acting as living kidney donors from her wallet and showed it to the nurse. Over the years she had shown the article to other health care professionals. “That nurse was the first person who listened to me,” says Mrs. Ransegnola. Within months, Mr. and Mrs. Ransegnola underwent the donor and transplant surgeries at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. In the three years since Mr. Ransegnola’s renal transplant, the couple has been enjoying the retirement they dreamed of.