MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Diane Tillman and Susan Kasch have worked in the Marysville School District for more than 40 combined years.
Tillman is a substitute teacher who travels to different locations, but every so often she crossed paths with Kasch, who is a paraeducator for the district. A few years ago, the educators were face-to-face for an encounter that would change everything.
“I hadn't seen Diane in a while,” explained Kasch, who said she remembers their conversation well. "'Diane how are you doing?’ And she said, ‘Well, I found out I’m going to need a kidney transplant…’”
It turns out Tillman had just told the right person who could help with her situation.
“Maybe a couple of weeks before that I’d been watching a television program and it was on someone who had donated a kidney,” said Kasch. “I had told my husband, I said, ‘I would do that.’”
The women share a strong faith in God and believe he was the true matchmaker, putting the whole plan in place.
“Neither of us was really surprised when I turned out to be a perfect match, so that’s how that came about,” said Kasch. “It was a God thing, not a coincidence.”
It took more than a year to get to the August surgery date at the University of Washington. Everything went well, and the kidney started working immediately. A few months later, Kasch is fully recovered and Tillman is feeling better every day.
Now, Tillman and Kasch are trying to pay it forward and hoping to change laws for the next person who needs help.
“Every day 13 people die waiting for a kidney,” Tillman explained.
They want Congress to repeal the National Organ Transplant Act, which makes it illegal to pay an organ donor. The American Association of Transplant Surgeons and other groups in the medical community are trying to get the government to authorize a set payment from the government to living donors to help offset the costs of a transplant and make it more appealing.
The groups said offering an incentive to get more people to donate sooner would save in health care costs and save lives.
There is also a bill in Congress, H.R. 1224, to prevent discrimination against donors. Washington Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler is the original co-sponsor of the legislation which is still being studied by a committee.
“Right now, donors can lose their job and lose their insurance,” Tillman said.
They're also lobbying for insurance coverage to guarantee access to anti-rejection medication, something kidney transplant recipients need to take for the rest of their lives.
The two women who were coworkers before the surgery now share a special bond. The educators hope their story makes the next person consider making this special gift.
“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Kasch. “Just knowing you're able to give someone something that could potentially save their life is an amazing feeling.”
