Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 2-20-19

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12 I NEWS I February 20, 2019 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE @MIDRIVERSNEWS MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM The story behind Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s 10,000th organ transplant By ELLEN LAMPE They call themselves the “Kidney Sisters.” Two pairs of women – best friends Marti and Randi and mother/daughter duo Pat and Kate – who once were strangers to each other but now are interconnected by an unbreakable bond. Marti Simon, of Ballwin, and Randi Halpern, of Chesterfield, have been best friends for years. The depth of that friendship was proven while the two were at a dinner party a couple of years ago. “We were saying bye and I took Marti’s hands in mine and they were so cold and I said, ‘Why are your fingers so cold? What’s going on?’” Randi recalled. It was then that Marti told Randi her health was declining and she needed a kidney. Randi said her response was instantaneous. “I said, ‘I’ll give you my kidney.’ I didn’t even think twice about it.” “I had polycistic kidneys. My mother had it 20 years ago. I tried to be a donor for her and found out I had the same thing,” Marti explained. Due to the condition of her kidneys, Marti had to go on dialysis. She gets emotional when she thinks back to that dinner party. “She saved my life,” she said of Randi. [Left to right] Donor Randi Halpern, Dr. Majella Doyle, donor Kate Tucker, recipient Marti Simon, Dr. Yiing Lin, and recipient Pat Conway [Photo courtesy of Barnes -Jewish Hospital] Randi did save Marti’s life, but not in the way the two had anticipated. In late 2018, it was determined that Randi’s kidney would not be compatible in Marti’s body – news they both described as “devastating.” Enter Pat Conway, of Creve Coeur, and her daughter, Kate Tucker, of Lake Saint Louis. Their story closely parallels that of Marti and Randi. As a result of Pat’s diabetes, her kidneys were beginning to fail. “I went to my kidney doctor. She told me my numbers were not good and I was going to have to go on dialysis,” Pat explained. “Kate was on her honeymoon so when she came back I told her about it. The minute I said it, she said ‘I’m going to donate a kidney.’ It made me cry.” Though Pat was hesitant about putting her daughter through such a procedure, she said Kate was adamant. Then, in late 2018, they received the news that Kate was not a match for her mother. “I was surprised, because in my head I was like, ‘I’m gonna do it. She’s gonna get my kidney,’” Kate said. “Then, you know, disappointment when I found out I wasn’t a match.” But the women weren’t out of luck. They had the option to essentially do a trade with the hospital’s paired exchange program. When a patient has a willing donor but their organs are not compatible, the two have the option of entering into the paired exchange database that can cross-match them to people in the same situation – bringing many happy endings to stories that started out with the words, “Sorry, you’re not a match.” Such is the story of how Pat ended up with Randi’s kidney and Marti ended up with Kate’s kidney – the story of the Kidney Sisters. ‘This story keeps getting better’ The four procedures took place within the first week of January and went off without a hitch. Majella Doyle, MD, performed the donors’ surgeries, and Yiing Lin, MD, performed the recipients’ surgeries. Five weeks post-procedure, the surgeons reported all four women were doing fantastic, and Marti and Pat noted feeling almost instantly better with their new kidneys. But the story doesn’t end there. It turns out that Pat and Randi were the hospital’s 9,999th organ transplant, making See TRANSPLANT, page 15 Are you failing school or is school failing you? • Full and half day programs • One-to-one instruction in-center or through our virtual classroom • Earn high school credit • Private tutoring and college planning • Test prep (ACT,SAT, Hiset GED and private school testing) • Sensory Summer Camp • School advocacy 195 Lamp and Lantern Village Dr. Town and Country, MO 63017 636.220.3344 • info@EYCAcademySTL.org www.eycacademystl.org NOW ENROLLING Mid-AMericA cAbinet refAcing Don’t Replace... Reface! • Refacing - Replace Doors & Drawer Fronts • Add New Cabinets or Modify Existing • Granite and Quartz Countertops • Pullout Shelves and Soft Close Drawers • Superior, On-time Service • Every Job is Owner Supervised Save Thousands of Dollars in Remodeling Costs and Time Save 50 to 60% Off the Cost of New Cabinets Solid Wood Refacing Oak, Maple or Cherry Painted colors, glazes and rub through finishes available Call 314-229-6654 Today www.midamericarefacing.com $500 Off Complete New Kitchen Cabinet Refacing *Must present ad at time of purchase. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Expires 3/20/19 Locally Owned - In business 17 years
FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM February 20, 2019 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE Sunshine Law limits move forward in Jefferson City I NEWS I 13 By JESSICA MESZAROS On Feb. 7, the Missouri House voted in approval of a bill that included amendments that would curb some facets of the state’s Sunshine Law, a measure established following Watergate to assist members of the public with the ability to access information from public government officials. Rep. Nick Schroer, [R-O’Fallon], proposed the amendment to create exceptions in the Sunshine Law’s language during the debate of House Bill 445, that pertained to the discussion of lobbyist gift bans. The House, which has a Republican majority, ultimately added Schroer’s amendment to the discussed bill on that voice vote on Feb. 4. The main bill was sponsored by Rep. Shamed Dogan [R-Ballwin]. The vote on the underlying legislation was 103 to 47. The amendment exempts records from the law that are “received or prepared by or on behalf of a member of a public governmental body” and that possibly include “advice, opinions and recommendations in connection with the deliberative decisionmaking process of said body.” Schroer said the main goal of the changes was to keep information that pertained specifically to constituents private. Examples include items like political beliefs, addresses, Social Security numbers and other forms of identifying information pertaining to constituents. “The intent of this is to protect the confidentiality of our constituents and the private information of our constituents,” Schroer said in an interview with Mid Rivers Newsmagazine. “Nothing more, nothing less. If our constituents want the private information that they share with us to be leaked out into the media or to some third-party to use it, they’re free to do it.” Dogan agreed with the intent of Schroer’s amendment and stated the purpose was, “to protect very sensitive, or personal information.” “I doubt people want their Social Security number or address published in the paper or on the internet somewhere,” Dogan told Mid Rivers Newsmagazine. In addition, Schroer also sought to exempt “constituent case files,” which include “any correspondence, written or electronic, between a member of a public governmental body and a constituent pertaining to a constituent’s request for information or assistance.” “… if you send me your Social Security number because you’re trying to plan a White House tour with your family and they need to do a background check on you, or if you have a family member who is in dire need of substance abuse treatment, or if you have a situation where you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation and you’re asking for a safe house,” Schroer said. “These are all things that myself and my colleagues have experienced, and if we don’t address this, all that private information is going to be leaked out by way of the Sunshine Law.” Although the voice vote was affirmative and individual stances were not recorded, the proposed changes were not without Nick Schroer opposition. Some feared that Schroer’s proposed language would tighten access to governmental information and requests on a local level, which he said is not the amendment’s intent. “At a local level, I think you still need protection,” Schroer said. “Like, if a parent is going to a school board member or a superintendent with an issue that their child is being bullied or has substance abuse issues, or if there are concerns over somebody within their class, if there’s an active shooter sort of mentality, I think that still needs to be privileged information that only the parents or the constituent is able to keep,” Schroer said. “Then, if they want to leak it out to the public, that’s on them.” “All the other documents, the government meetings, the governmental communications, all that should be open,” Schroer elaborated. The proposed changes come about three months after Amendment 1, also known as “Clean Missouri,” received voter approval during the November 2018 election, which specifically subjugated legislators to the Sunshine Law. “Previous to Amendment 1 going into effect, legislators were largely exempt from the Sunshine Law,” Schroer said. “Once we were subject to the Sunshine Law, we had to double-check and see if any of these exceptions would apply so we could actually protect the confidentiality of and private communications of our constituents.” Another amendment, sponsored by Rep. Gina Mitten [D-Richmond Heights], was also added to the legislation forbidding elected officials from utilizing or downloading software, like the Confide app used by former Gov. Eric Greitens that automatically deleted electronic messages. See SUNSHINE LAW, page 14 Public meeting scheduled to evaluate roadway concerns, solutions for Route N By JESSICA MESZAROS On Feb. 21, a public open house will be held at Liberty High, 2275 Sommers Road in Lake Saint Louis, to gauge public input regarding an upcoming environmental study of Route N from west of South Pointe Prairie Road to the Interstate 64/Route 364 interchange in west St. Charles County. The total length of the studied area is about eight miles and spans multiple municipalities including O’Fallon and Lake Saint Louis. The western project limit will be the David Hoekel Parkway Interchange, and the eastern limit is marked by the I-64/Route 364 interchange. The goal of the study is to identify current transportation needs and concerns, such as documented cases of traffic stacking at the Route N-Route Z intersection and in areas like Hopewell Road; and explore possible alternatives and solutions. Residential input will be part of that evaluation. The study is a cooperative effort between the Missouri Department of Transportation [MoDOT] and the Federal Highway Administration. It is being completed in partnership with St. Charles County and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. According to the project’s website, daily traffic on Route N ranges from an estimated 5,500 vehicles west of Route Z to about 18,000 vehicles to the west of I-64. The study began in summer of 2018. A previous open house on the issue was held in November. As part of the process, a Community Advisory Group [CAG] was established to assist the study team and provide stakeholder input, review information, study findings and deliver information to the general public. While the CAG’s role is to direct MoDOT, both MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration will ultimately work together to determine the final decision on the best alternatives for the corridor. A Technical Advisory Group [TAG] also was added to the project to include the input of technical experts from multiple different entities and jurisdictions, including St. Charles County, Lake Saint Louis, Wentzville and O’Fallon. Members of the group will assist with the development, analysis, refinement and selection of solutions for the Route N corridor. Following multiple meetings and communications between the groups, the Route N Study team has produced a set of Conceptual Alternatives that will be presented and elaborated on at the Feb. 21 meeting. Next steps, following the second public meeting, would be to hold a public hearing in late 2019, with a study completion date tentatively scheduled for early 2020. Residents can follow the project’s progress on RouteNStudy.com.
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Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 2-20-19

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