'Seven Sisters' donate kidneys to strangers

Officials at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood can't say for sure they have a world record. But this is certain: Seven of their employees have done something extraordinary.

The seven employees, all women, opted in recent years to donate kidneys to strangers or casual acquaintances. Loyola officials, as well as spokesmen from the national organ waiting list and local donation coordinators, said on Wednesday they believe there have never been so many altruistic donors at one workplace.

“We kind of hope more people might step forward,” said Jane Thomas of Villa Park, a registered nurse in Loyola's lung transplant program.

Thomas, 47, also happens to be one of the donors. She volunteered to give her kidney to a stranger last August.

The hospital has dubbed the women “The Seven Sisters of Loyola,” and each said Wednesday they were linked — even before the transplants — by their common values.

“I just thought I'd like to do more,” said Jodi Tamen, 47, a dental hygienist at Loyola who lives in West Frankfort.

Tamen's kidney was donated to a stranger in California about a year ago. Before becoming a “Sister” with Thomas, the women were friends because Thomas is a patient at the dental practice where Tamen works. Others, however, were connected only by their employer before donating.

“They are united in their desire to improve life for their fellow human beings,” said Dr. Paul Kuo, chairman of Loyola's department of surgery. “This level of compassion cannot only change a life, but perhaps society and perhaps the world.”

Loyola's other volunteer donors are: Barbara Thomas, 48, of Brookfield, an administrative secretary in the kidney transplant program who donated to a tenant in a home she previously rented out; Cristina Lamb, 46, of Melrose Park, a credentialing coordinator who donated to a man the same age as her 22-year-old daughter; Dr. Susan Hou, 65, medical director of the renal transplant program, who donated to a patient; Dorothy Jambrosek, 46, of Woodridge, administrative director of graduate medical education who donated to a stranger; and Cynthia Blakemore, 58, of Montgomery, the clinical laboratory department manager whose kidney was flown to a stranger in New York.

Five of the women helped launch Loyola's “Pay it Forward” program, which matches altruistic donors with transplant patients who are medically incompatible with their original volunteer donors. In turn, the incompatible donor volunteers to give a kidney to another patient on the waiting list, and the availability of organs grows.

The ripple effect of the seven Loyola workers' donations resulted in 28 people receiving healthy kidneys, officials said.

“That is some beautiful new math to me,” said Jambrosek, who made the most recent donation last month and is already back to her regular exercise regimen.

In total, officials say the program has given nearly 100 healthy kidneys to patients throughout the country, not just at Loyola.

And while most of the Seven Sisters have met their donation recipients, some like Thomas are lucky enough to watch their progress close-up. Her son is friends with the son of James Love of Westchester, 34, who received her kidney in 2009.

“I am just so thrilled every time I see him,” said Thomas. “He looks so good, so healthy.”