A love story

Linda Pearce/ Arizona Silver Belt Michael and Pamela have been married over a decade and give whatever it takes to make their love last...even a kidney.

On July 24, 1999, Michael Leonard married Pamela Reynolds and to live happily ever after, gave her his heart…figuratively. On April 3, 2012 he pledged again his love and to save her life gave her a kidney, literally.

Pam, 47, who had moved here from Ohio, and Mike, 52, a native of North Dakota, met in Miami and became best friends who then decided to marry. Pam was up front with Mike about her health. Her father had the same genetic condition, known as polycystic kidney disease, and had dialysis for two years prior to a kidney transplant at age 52. Pam was aware that she had inherited the disease and had done everything she could to keep the known conclusion at bay as long as she could.

She was the picture of health and worked diligently to keep herself so by exercising (weights and walking) eating healthy (no red meat – in fact little meat) good medical care and good insurance.

Mike helped in all her endeavors. A former personal trainer, he used his knowledge to full effect in their home gym. They could be seen walking around the neighborhood and you seldom saw them at restaurants, as they mostly made their own meals. But as her condition worsened, her nephrologist, Dr. Sahani, told her that he would prefer she go directly to getting a transplant if possible, rather than go on dialysis. On Nov. 7, 2011 Mike went through a five-day battery of tests at the Mayo Clinic and was found not only to be in excellent health, but was told that he couldn’t have been a better match if they had been related.

Pam’s nephrologist, who comes to the area once a month, worked with the Mayo Clinic and as her kidney function began to lessen, things went into motion and the surgery was scheduled. Mike works in the Cooperative Extension Office for U of A and Pam works for Dr. O’Dell at the Gila County Regional School District. Their supervisors made arrangements for them to work from home (aren’t computers wonderful!) until full recovery.

On the day of surgery, Pam went in at 7:30 a.m. with a surgeon, Dr. Andrews, to remove both bad kidneys and another surgeon, Dr. Katariya, to transplant the new one. Pam and Mike also had a team of specialists to ensure they received the best possible medical care, including social workers to help with hospital papers and counselors for possible depression. She was in surgery for six hours and came out with her new kidney already functioning. Creatinine levels dropped from 5+ to a more normal 0.9 just overnight. Over a period of several weeks, all her other levels began to normalize, too. Mike went in at 11 a.m. with his team led by Dr. Castle, and in 90 minutes was minus a kidney but doing just fine. His doctors warned him that he would feel tired until his remaining kidney had fully taken over the work of two. One day later Mike was transferred to the Arizona Transplant House, also known as The Village at Mayo Clinic; a former ranch donated for the purpose of building a facility to house recovering transplant patients. Each ‘casita’ contains six bedrooms surrounded by a common kitchen, dining room, living room, library and patio. They paid $25 a day to stay in their casita, which was sterilized by the staff.

It was the Leonard’s job to find caregivers. Normally a husband helps a wife, a mother helps a child, etc., but in this case, both were patients and so they relied on friends and neighbors, who came through wonderfully.

Steve Martin helped Mike when it was just Mike, and also took care of Pam for a couple days when she was released after five days in the hospital. Later mutual friends, Dora Buckley and then Nancy Olson, alternated taking care of them for a week at a time. On the home front, Linda Pearce, Jesse Bryant and Stella Amado took care of their cats and yard.

They had a trial trip home on April 21 and both did fine, but it was another three weeks before the doctors released Pam to come home for good.

Pam has been dealing with a virus that is common to transplant patients and both Dr. Sahani and Dr. Heilman from Mayo are taking steps to heal her. As of now there are no signs of rejection in her new kidney and she is on medication, some of which she will have to take for the rest of her life…a life that she relishes every day and never speaks of the future without a “Lord willing” preceding or succeeding it. She knows how blessed she is and also speaks of her husband as, “my hero” and you can see in her eyes that she means it sincerely.