http://www.startribune.com/local/18831879.html


"When mother and son's eyes met and they found each other nearly 40 years ago, they had no idea how deep their bond would go.

Joan Eidsvold fell in love with the brown-eyed baby the minute she saw him. The 6-week-old boy, dressed in shorts and an aqua-striped shirt, was snuggled in a social worker's arms. When he saw his new parents, he spit out his pacifier.

Joan and her husband, Tom, took him home, named him Brian and made him their son.

Nearly 40 years later, he got a chance to pay her back.

• • •

It was a routine exam, like Joan had every year. But that day seven years ago, the results were not routine. Blood tests showed some abnormalities; her kidneys were starting to fail.

Joan, nearing 60 years old, was shocked: I've got something really wrong, she knew.

A specialist told her that her kidney problems were progressing slowly, but that eventually she would likely need a transplant. She went back to the Alexandria, Minn., clinic regularly so that the doctors could monitor the decline.

After several years, her kidneys were functioning at only 20 percent of their capacity. Doctors told her that she qualified for the national list of people waiting for kidneys. Working her way up the list could take years, though, and they suggested she might want to start looking for a live donor.

Joan was overwhelmed. How would she do that? Where would she begin?

You can't just ask someone for a kidney, she and Tom reasoned. The best they could do was let people know she needed one and see what happened.

Joan's seven brothers and sisters stepped up first. Some knew immediately they couldn't donate. Others went through initial tests and found out they weren't matches. One by one, Joan's hopes faded. She worried that she was running out of options.................."