访谈录 2008-10-22&10-24 器官移植给我新生

The kindness of strangers

Last year, we reported on a new approach to lifesaving kidney donations, a kind of pay-it-forward idea, pairing those in need with those willing to be donors² for people they've never met. From that first selfless gift, many are now enjoying a new chance of life. As ABC’s Barbara Pinto reports all involved have gathered for the first time.

When we last saw Angela Hecmin and Ron Bunnell, they were headed into surgery. Ron was giving Ange, a total stranger, one of his kidneys. Now 15 months later…

 “I feel fantastic; he gave me a new life.”

 He gave me my daughter back, for a long time to come.”

 In return, Ange’s mother then gave one of her kidneys to a woman she’d never met (“Thank you so much.”) until this past weekend.

The concept is called paired donation and allows anyone who needs a lifesaving kidney-transplant to get one as long as they find a willing donor¹. A computer program finds the best possible match.

It started with Matt Jones, a father of five from Michigan who decided³ to give a stranger an incredible gift.

“I decide, you know, I’ve got two, only need the one, if somebody else can have it and live a better life then it's a success.”

Mat gave his kidney to Barbe Bunnell, whose husband Ron was not a good match for her. In turn, Ron gave his kidney to Ange, whose mother Laurie was not a suitable donor. Laurie gave her kidney to Cecelia and a lifesaving chain took off.

Dr. Michael Rees has arranged for 16 such transplants so far. My hope is that we will get 3000 kidney transplants a year someday.

A year ago no one here could have predicted that a number of people associated with this chain of kidney transplants could fill a hotel ballroom⁴. But they did, to celebrate incredible generosity⁵ and life.

My hope, a year from now, we have another reunion, we have more chains, and not a single one of them is broken, and that truly is a never ending chain.

Last week in Huston, Carey Barrett added another link. “I have a beautiful wife, fabulous⁶ kids, you know, a great job, and I have the ability to donate a kidney.” He did, for a woman he’d never met. Brenda Chapa had grown sicker watching 10 potential donors fall through. “Well, he’s not a stranger anymore, he’s definitely gonna be my best friend.”

For the Chapa’s, Carey’s gift is nothing short of a miracle that they will now pass on to another family.

Barbara Pinto, ABC News, Perrysburg, Ohio.

Incredible generosity indeed and we’re happy to say we played a small part in this chain. Carey Barrett, who you saw on Barbara's piece found out about the paired donations when we reported on the first transplants last year. You can learn more about the Alliance for paired donations by logging onto our website ABCNEWS.COM

1 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

5 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

6 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。