Kidney Recipient Still Doing Well
Two Decades After His Transplant
(This story originally aired on News Channel 7 in Spartanburg during April of 2005.)

Looking at Dennis Caughman you would never know he is a transplant patient.  He works a full day at News Channel 7 in Spartanburg.

Dennis doesn’t slow down after work.  He sometimes shoots hoops in the afternoon with some of the boys he and his wife look after at the Connie Maxwell home in Greenwood.

Dennis grew up with a disease that caused his kidneys to fail.  Dennis says, “I was diagnosed when I was 6 and knew all along growing up that I would eventually have problems with my kidneys and it would lead to having a transplant.”

By age of 18, he was on dialysis and on the transplant list.  Just when he thought he was going to get a new kidney he found out it was a false alarm.

I asked him, “Was that a big let down? Was it shock that you didn’t get it?”

Dennis says, “Oh yes!  It was definitely a shock and a big let down. You go through the whole range of emotions. They call you… you think you are going to get it… you get there and they say… sorry, Mr. Caughman…we are going to have to wait until next time.”

For Dennis the next time came a few months later.  Dennis states,

“September 8 is when I actually received the transplant.”

It is a date he remembers very well.    For Dennis it was the start of a new life.

He adds,  “Oh yeah… sometimes I kind of get chocked up even thinking about that. Because you know it is a start of a new life for me.  On September 8, 1988, things start over for me. You have a second opportunity at life and I will forever be grateful to that person who lost a child. They were able to give life despite of their agony.”

For Dennis, his second chance at life has been wonderful.   He says, “Oh my goodness… the last 17 years have been great! I mean it is almost like I have been given an extra 17 years at life. I mean a lot of the things that I have been blessed with… a lovely beautiful wife… we have been married for a couple of years now… I have a 5-month-old daughter named Katelin.  She is the pride and joy of her dad.”

For all his joy there is still some pain.  His kidney problems are hereditary. 

He says, “We have just now had some genetics studies done on Katie and she is a carrier of the syndrome that causes this. Basically what that means is that there is a 50-50 chance she could develop this later on in life. It does concern me very much.  We will keep her close to the doctors and keep her updated as she goes about her life.”

This gives Dennis another reason to encourage organ donation.   He adds, “I mean organ donation is one of the things that you can do that keeps on giving.”

Dennis has competed in several National Kidney Foundation US Transplant Games in recent years. He says it gives him another reason to celebrate his life.

Video produced and compliments of:
WSPA-TV
News Channel 7
Spartanburg, SC