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Nephew gives aunt a precious gift -- a kidney
by Cammy Clark
July 21 |
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Mary Kaklamanakis was deteriorating rapidly last year from end stage renal disease when her 24-year-old nephew Anthony Miaoulis surprised her with an offer of a precious gift: his kidney.
When they learned of the transplant surgery's date -- July 14 -- both were awestruck. It was the seventh anniversary of the death of George Miaoulis, Anthony's father and Mary's brother. He had died from kidney failure.
``I feel as if my brother was watching us and taking care of us,'' said Kaklamanakis, 56, from her 15th-floor room at Jackson Memorial Hospital where she was recovering on Tuesday.
The transplant operation a week ago went well with Miaoulis providing ``a beautiful kidney'' that began working immediately, said Dr. George W. Burke III, chief of kidney and kidney/pancreas transplantation at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
Burke, who has performed about 1,000 kidney and kidney/pancreas transplants, said Tuesday that this operation was a challenge because Kaklamanakis has diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hardening of the arteries and is overweight.
``Without question, her survival is now much better with the kidney transplant than it ever would have been continuing on dialysis,'' Burke said.
As tears trickled down her face, Kaklamanakis was more blunt. She said her nephew ``gave me my life back.''
Miaoulis, a dental student in Phoenix, said the kidney donation was his ``ultimate thank you'' to his aunt, who lives in Boca Raton, for her help during the final two months of his dad's life.
They were living in the Bahamas at the time when Kaklamanakis left behind her husband and kids in Freeport to care for her dying brother and then 17-year-old nephew in Nassau.
``She was there by his side every day and took me to school and fed me dinner,'' Miaoulis said of his aunt. ``I guess I never really got a chance to say thank you.''
Miaoulis' mother died 20 years ago to the day that they learned of the surgery date.
``I believe miracles happen, and your loved ones watch over you when they leave,'' Kaklamanakis said.
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