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EASTLAKE, Ohio – After more than a year of pain, testing and finally a game, a man from Eastlake is just days away from getting a new kidney and a new life.
But all of that is on hold now thanks to the Cleveland Clinic’s new policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for organ transplant recipients and donors.
The Cleveland Clinic announced the policy earlier this week, just days before Mike Ganim had surgery for a kidney transplant.
Mike Ganim, 52, was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease at the age of 27. He has had ups and downs with his health over the years, but in March 2020 it got worse. He developed a large blood clot which sent him to the hospital.
“The kidneys were so deep with cysts that they just squeezed and squeezed and squeezed his main vein and it clogged him and he went all the way to his leg,” said Debi Ganim, Mike’s wife. Ganim.
Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic told the Ganim there was no time to waste – Mike Ganim needed a kidney transplant.
It took Mike Ganim months to get on the donor list in October 2020, then they were crushed in May this year when a cousin who stepped up wasn’t up to the task. Finally, Debi Ganim took to social media and appealed to her family and friends.
“He’s only going to be 52. And, you know, he should have a lot of years left, and we had 119 shares that week,” Debi Ganim said.
One of the people who saw the message and donated blood was Debi Ganim’s dear friend, Sue George. Debi Ganim was George’s daughter’s third grade teacher and they have kept in touch ever since.
“When I saw her posts on social media, saying her husband needed this kidney, and knowing they weren’t asking for anything from anyone, I immediately went to the computer and signed up to donate. blood, ”said George. “They had our blood matched and our blood mixed and it was a match.”
George said she was shocked and overjoyed to hear that she was compatible.
“All along, I said to my husband, ‘we have to try. I need to try. You know I’m not going to be the match, “but I had to try. So I was shocked, ”said George.
Then came further tests over the summer and surgery finally scheduled for October 13.
“We went to pre-op on Monday October 4th. According to custom, everything was great. They treated us like they always do and everything is ready. My FMLA is set up. Mike’s FMLA is set up. I had a hard time finding a replacement for my class. But we finally have one, Sue’s FMLA is set up, ”said Debi Ganim.
But on Friday, five days before the operation, the Cleveland Clinic called the Ganim to tell them it was suspended because George is not vaccinated against COVID-19, even though Mike Ganim is.
“I don’t know what that will mean. They called Mike and they said how sorry they were. Surgeons are devastated that this is a decision that comes from above, ”said Debi Ganim.
George is not vaccinated for religious and medical reasons, and said that throughout the transplant process, the doctors knew it.
“It was never a problem, and not one of the doctors we met mentioned that it was a problem, except for the pulmonologist who just tried to persuade me to get the vaccine and that was about a month ago. ” said Georges.
George said the news of the policy had been devastating not only for the Ganim, but also for his family.
“The doctors we’ve worked with are so professional and wonderful, and I know their hands are tied, it’s just from the top management, or from the top people. I have nothing against the doctors. The clinic is doing what I think is a big mistake, ”said George. “They put this vaccination before saving someone’s life. I am ready to donate a part of the body, a kidney to this man. And they won’t because I don’t shoot. That does not make any sense.”
In a statement, the Cleveland Clinic said patients currently on the transplant waiting list for a deceased donor have until Nov. 1 to adhere to the policy. He did not specify a date for surgeries using a living donor, just that vaccination is required for both parties.
When does the Cleveland Clinic vaccination policy for organ donors / recipients come into effect?
Vaccination aims to prevent serious illness or death from COVID-19. To date, we have not removed anyone from the transplant waiting list because they were not vaccinated.
Patients currently on the waiting list have until November 1 to follow the Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 safety protocol for organ transplants from a deceased donor. If patients awaiting an organ from a deceased donor are not vaccinated after 1/11, they will be rendered inactive on the UNOS waiting list.
For organ transplantation using a living donor, which involves the living donor undergoing scheduled surgery, we require COVID-19 vaccination for both the donor and the recipient before the surgery can be performed, for the safety of both.
Debi Ganim said her husband’s team is trying to find another solution, such as having George’s operation take place at another hospital and have the kidney taken to the clinic, but she believes there should be a grace period for people who already have scheduled surgeries.
“When we heard on November 1, we were actually kind of a sigh of relief,” Debi Ganim said. “But I don’t agree with them to change it. I don’t agree with them at all. And I have the impression that it will push us further. I have a feeling that if they don’t find a solution, what if they wait another week and a week more, then we will lose everything.
George said she was not going anywhere and that she would do whatever she could to help the Ganim. However, she still does not want to be vaccinated.
“If there’s a way or a form of doing this for Mike, I’m going to do it.” But I don’t get the vax, ”said George.
Debi Ganim said her husband is optimistic that the clinic will find an alternative solution to this problem, but she is concerned that if the operation is delayed too long, they will not be able to use George as a donor.
” I’m so scared. I’m so scared again, I mean we were crying and crying so many tears of joy and gratitude because of this event, and now it’s the opposite. I’m so scared, ”Debi Ganim said.
The Ganim expect to hear from the Cleveland Clinic on Monday on a possible solution to this problem.
In a statement to News 5, the Cleveland Clinic said:
The health and safety of our patients is our top priority. The Cleveland Clinic recently developed safety protocols for solid organ transplantation that require COVID-19 vaccination to be an active transplant candidate or a living donor. Vaccination is particularly important in these patients for their safety. For the living donor, preventing COVID-19 infection at the time of surgery is crucial. For the transplant candidate, in addition to a heavy operation, medications taken after an organ transplant weaken a person’s immune response. Serious complications from COVID-19 are more likely to develop in people with weakened immune systems because their bodies have a reduced ability to fight and recover from infections. FDA-approved vaccines have been found to be safe and effective and are the best way to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19.
Jade Jarvis is a reporter for News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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