On Dec. 22, West Seattle resident Elaine Cornell, backed by her employer Umpqua Bank, made a generous $500 donation to Northwest Kidney Centers as part of the "Associate Giving Campaign". Cornell's name was chosen from bank employees in Washington state to receive the $500 donation to give to a charity of her choice. This is one way the bank celebrates the holidays. Cornell chose Northwest Kidney Centers because in 1988 she was a dialysis patient there for about six months, until she received a kidney transplant from her sister RoseAnne Tobelaine of Snohomish.
Cornell has written an essay about the gift she received, her family and her thoughts about her treatment.

The Gift I Received and why I want to give to the Northwest Kidney Centers

By Elaine Cornell

Winning the first prize in the Associate Giving Campaign has given me a great opportunity to, in part, give back to an organization and foundation that was there for me during my greatest time of need and express to my gratitude for the “Gift of Life” I received from my sister.

In 1986 I was in my third year at the University of Washington, when I learned, thanks to a very pro-active and thorough Navy doctor, that blood tests showed my kidney function was in the abnormal range. In addition to the blood tests, I had high blood pressure readings (which were not normal for someone of my age who was not overweight, in good physical shape and not a smoker) and I was weak.

The doctor referred me to a nephrologist at Pacific Medical Center. I had a kidney biopsy, the results of which indicated that my kidneys were diseased. At that time they were functioning at about 30 percent of normal use. The prognosis was to take experimental amounts of an immunosuppressive drug called prednisone. There were many side effects, but the treatment may have prolonged the use I had left.

Even afterward, my kidney function was not any better and I was told it was only a matter of time before I would go into end stage failure. This is devastating news at 21 years old, but I managed to still complete my studies and to go through with plans to get married. By spring of 1988, I was showing signs of end-stage kidney failure. This meant preparation for hemodialysis had to begin. I had surgery to create a fistula and to input a subclavien catheter. I began dialysis at Northwest Kidney Centers’ clinic on Broadway in Seattle.

The experience created an awareness, not just of the people needing treatment, but also of the sometimes insurmountable task of educating patients about their disease, teaching them how to help their bodies endure the treatments and helping them fight depression. The experts at this time were talking to me about considering kidney transplantation because outside of the disease that was directly affecting my kidneys, I had no other health issues.

All three of my siblings wanted to get tested to donate a kidney to me. It turned out that my oldest sister was the best match. We planned the surgery and my sister had to go through all the tests to make sure she had two fully functioning kidneys. I was on dialysis for about six months. During this time, the tests found that my sister had an ovarian cyst that needed to be removed. We were still hoping the surgery would happen. About two days after removing the cyst, we learned that thankfully it was benign. Then, we had the green light to continue with the transplant.

The gift of a kidney from my sister was truly the “Gift of Life.” We have both continued to raise families and have enriching lives. The selfless generous gift enabled me and my spouse to have two strong boys, now ages 16 and 11, as well as given me the energy to work, take care of the children, and be a contributing member of our nuclear family and society as a whole.