Giving the gift of life
High school senior in need of kidney transplant

By Renée St. Martin Wizeman

Kacey Verlanic, a St. Francis Xavier parishioner in Missoula, loves to be involved in his Catholic faith, particularly in youth ministry activities.
The 18-year-old Hellgate High School senior hopes to pursue studies at Carroll College, ultimately becoming a youth minister himself.
And the wider Catholic community has an opportunity to help him meet this goal.
Verlanic needs a kidney transplant. He had his first kidney transplant in July 2000, but that kidney is now in complete failure, necessitating a second transplant. While he recently started dialysis three times per week, finding a donor as soon as possible is critical, and the best option for improving his health.
At this time, his immediate family members are not able to donate to him. But with medical advances, transplant teams have been doing more “living donor” transplants for better long-term success. In this procedure, a suitable donor donates one of his or her kidneys.
Verlanic’s mother, Jen, said, “We are looking for anyone who has ever considered being a living donor or who knows someone who may have said they were interested in it.
“We realize what a tremendous, hard thing this is to ask of people,” she noted.
In addition to considering the live-donor option, all people are encouraged to pray for Kacey and his family.
Verlanic said he is enjoying being a senior, and treasured his experiences as a Legendary Lodge volunteer this past summer.
His faith has helped him, as he takes comfort in “knowing that other people belong in the same faith, and helping people that need help,” he said in a recent phone interview.
His mother said that his biggest disappointment is not feeling well enough to participate in a lot of the youth activities he so enjoyed. “He is hoping to go to World Youth Day in 2008, so we just take it one day at a time,” she said.

Anyone who would like more information about becoming a live donor, please call Cindy, the social worker at the St. Patrick’s Dialysis unit in Missoula, 406-327-1750.

This question and response from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church gives the Church’s position on organ donation:
476. Are the transplant and donation of organs allowed before and after death?
2296. The transplant of organs is morally acceptable with the consent of the donor and without excessive risks to him or her. Before allowing the noble act of organ donation after death, one must verify that the donor is truly dead.

Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 22, No. 10, October 20, 2006.