'The ultimate gift': Overdose victim's kidney changes Louisville father's life

Laura Ungar
Courier Journal

Will Powell used to spend 4 1/2 hours a day, three days a week, on dialysis.

High blood pressure had caused his kidneys to fail. The former retail manager could no longer work and could barely keep up with his four children.

He got on the list for a transplant. A couple of years later, he got the call that a kidney had become available.

But like a growing number of organs available for transplant, it came from an overdose victim. And that made Powell nervous.

"I didn't understand enough about it," said Powell, 47, of Jeffersontown. "I didn't want to become a drug addict."

Read this:Overdose victims 'living on and helping other people' through organ donations

Doctors assured him that wouldn't happen. Addiction is a brain disease and can't be passed through organ donation. And the chance of contracting a disease from a drug user's "increased-risk organ" is tiny.

Powell came home after dialysis and talked with his wife. They prayed for guidance, then "decided to go for it."

On Nov. 5, 2017, Powell had the transplant. The kidney came from a teenage girl who died of a drug overdose but never had hepatitis C, HIV or any other disease associated with drug use.

Powell went home three days after surgery.

Since then, he's been taking anti-rejection drugs but has had no complications. 

Today, he feels strong and healthy. He's looking for a job, spending more time with his three daughters and doing things he never thought he'd do again, like playing kickball with his 5-year-old son.

Read more:Jewish Hospital transplants hits milestone amid uncertainty

To give back, he volunteers with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates; a KODA billboard features a photo of him and his wife promoting organ donation.

"The more people are educated, the more people know, the more lives can be saved," he said.

Powell often prays for the family of the young girl whose organ keeps him healthy.

"To me, it's like the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate gift," he said. "If I could relay anything to them, it's that I'm cherishing that gift."

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Laura Ungar: 502-582-7190; lungar@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @laura_ungar. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/laurau.