Original story published 2024-09-04 17:44:08
STORY SUMMARY
In Vermont, cancer survivor Brandy Jaman has found a kidney donor after nearly a year of searching. Jaman, who relied on five-hour daily dialysis while seeking a donor, used social media and public postings around Montpelier to spread her plea. The breakthrough came when 71-year-old Teresa Lever, a colleague from the Central Vermont Medical Center, saw one of Jaman’s posters and decided to get tested. Tests at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center confirmed Lever as a match. The two women are scheduled for surgery in November, bringing hope to Jaman who has previously survived leukemia and undergone heart and bone marrow transplants. Jaman urges others to consider organ donation, emphasizing the difference it can make in saving lives.
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A Vermont woman, Brandy Jaman, a cancer survivor, received life-changing news after a challenging search for a kidney donor. Jaman, who found out her kidney was failing last year, resorted to social media and public appeals, even displaying signs at local events, to find a donor. Despite her extensive efforts, which included daily dialysis sessions, Jaman had no immediate success, but her perseverance finally paid off.
Teresa Lever, a 71-year-old colleague from Central Vermont Medical Center, had seen Jaman’s pleas for help but assumed someone else would respond. However, a chance encounter with one of Jaman’s posters in Montpelier this spring made Lever reconsider and decide to get tested. Unexpectedly, the tests at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center confirmed that Lever was a match. Overwhelmed with emotion, Jaman celebrated the news, seeing it as a bright spot after years of battling leukemia and undergoing multiple transplants.
The surgeries for both Jaman and Lever are scheduled for November at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. While Jaman remains cautious about possible infections or rejections, she is hopeful and prepared, having overcome significant health challenges in the past. The story emphasizes the life-saving importance of organ donation and encourages others to register as donors, highlighting how a single decision can transform lives.
